Dark Sea: Pluton
by Black Wren Sky
Summary: Luffy, Law and Lance learn that Pluton has been located and, worse, the World Government is planning to use it against Alabasta as a warning to other nations to never question them. The three race to thwart the impending disaster, but with Luffy weak and without his powers will the others be able to break the unstoppable ancient weapon?
1. Prologue: The Ancient Weapon

Prologue: The Ancient Weapon

December 5, 780 WG

Lance pulled on the thick mooring rope with a small team as a second group did the same with across the channel that served as an impromptu berth. The ship was really too big for humans, even a team of strong humans, to move. The behemoth dwarfed any ship built by man. Only the ships of the giants of Elbaf could compare to it in size and still it was bigger. No, he and the others were merely guiding the ship forward. The power that moved it came from the wind Dragon had summoned. Maryanne worked the helm, but she was relying on them to let her know if any adjustments were needed. The helm of the ship was inside and several decks down, near the rudder.

Six masts with six yardarms each to hold the sails needed to move the ludicrous ship creaked and strained in Dragon's gale. Lance puffed as he tugged on the mooring rope, they only had a few more feet before her stern was safely in the canyon. If she ran aground now, they would be waiting hours for the tide to pull her back and then several more to push her forward for another attempt. Lance, uninterested in a do-over, concentrated on his task. The longer it took them to hide the giant ship the more likely they would be discovered.

Maryanne had been the one who had proposed hiding it and the two men had agreed. Dragon had actually made contact with his mother in order to secure trustworthy help in getting the thing moved. An event that accentuated the seriousness of all this. For reasons undisclosed, Dragon spent most of the time pretending he didn't have one.

Lance had to appreciate the family connections. However, from what he understood about Dragon's mother, he wondered why she would help them hide this thing from the World Government. Her status and the family history suggested she would more likely sell them out than help but Dragon trusted her for that very reason. There was more to this family history thing than Dragon had, reluctantly, let on.

One thing was certain. World Government must never get its hands on this ship. The ship was large, but it was what it was designed to carry that was the problem. Its huge girth was to support a cannon of incomprehensible size. It ran the full length of the behemoth along with its support mechanisms that allowed it to be loaded and aimed.

The Ancient Weapon… Pluton, the Harbinger of Death. The Destroyer of Islands and Nations.

The ship had to have been built around the outrageous weapon in order to transport it between targets. It served no other purpose. There was barely any room for crew and all necessities were given the minimum space needed to serve their purpose. It didn't even have a hold, severely limiting what it could carry. It had a large space near the loading area of the gun, the magazine for the ship, that took the majority of what space was left to the inner area. The rest were machines and access corridors.

Lance couldn't see the ship sailing without a support ship to carry supplies like food and water. He also could see it would need a fleet escort for protection. It had no room for any other weapons, and it was slow at sea, those six masts were what it needed just to move. Its bottom was almost flat, it was so wide, a much-needed design in order for it to displace enough water to keep it afloat despite the weight and near solid state.

Fortunately, Pluton used unique ammo, if the design was any judge, and that unique ammo wasn't stocked onboard. Or else Maryanne had thrown it overboard when she initially found it. So, at the moment, the thing was just a large hunk of metal and wood. However, the World Government had many brilliant minds in its science department. It they got ahold of the weapon they might figure out the kind of ammo it used and remake it.

Though, maybe it was unfortunate there was no ammo onboard. They could have used it to destroy the thing. It was so big, the wall of the hull so thick, that not even Dragon's wind scythes could do more than scratch it.

_It would have to be made of Adam's Wood_, thought Lance with annoyance as he gave another tug on the rope.

With no way to destroy it, their only option was to hide it somewhere else. And why did they have to move it and risk it being spotted in transit by who knows who?

Maryanne had been the one to find it, though, why she was running around in her condition was lost on Lance. She should have been safe at home in Marineford where the doctors could keep an eye as she progressed.

Instead of answering her, understandably distraught, husband on why she was running around the Grandline and finding lost weapons were better off remaining lost, she skipped to urgently insisting they needed to move Pluton to a new location, immediately. Both men could read between the lines. Maryanne had found more than the ship when she found Pluton. She had probably silenced a government agent or even a member of Cypher Pol to prevent word of the discovery from leaking out.

Lance probably should have felt weird about that since he was a Marine Vice Admiral and upholding the law and not whacking your comrades and allies was supposed to go with that. However, ever since the destruction of Ohara, he found he no longer saw government agents and especially Cypher Pol as allies. He wasn't even sure he should be representing the World Government as a Marine.

He was all for helping Dragon change the Marines into a true fighting force for Justice; purging the corrupted elements from the Marines so that the people would have someone they could rely on to actually uphold the law and punish those who would break it, no matter their status. Even if that justice meant eventually fighting the World Government itself one day. Dragon was hoping to avoid that. He wanted to minimize chaos and they both knew from bitter experience that ousting a corrupt government didn't necessarily mean things got better. The anarchy that followed regicide was more damning for the people and the nation than leaving the ruler in place.

Dragon wanted to change the system, to change the quality of the people running it while leaving the structure intact to prevent lawlessness from taking hold. It was slow, but if successful, would benefit the people they were trying to serve in the long run. After Ohara, though, they wondered how much evil they would have to turn a blind eye to before they would achieve the goals of this long run.

With a final grunt, Lance and the others drew the ship its last inches and tied it into place. Dragon flew over to them a minute later with Maryanne in his arms. It was still a shock to see her without the Marine uniform, especially the Marine hat that had become her trademark from wearing it for so many years with pride. Lance felt anger simmer in his chest again. Helgram had betrayed them all when he chose to sabotage Dragon in an effort to gain the title of admiral that much sooner. If not for Maryanne's "confession" and offer of retirement, Dragon could very well have been executed.

Her perfectly petite form stood among the two towering men in a green blouse with elbow length loose sleeves and dark grey leggings that vanished within her ankle boots. Her hair had grown out since her retirement and hung to her shoulders instead of in that boyish bob she had always sported from the time before they met her in Altear. Scarlet eyes turned to regard the ship, a frown tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Dragon's face was gaunt and grey with exhaustion. He had been using his Wind Wind Fruit to move the ship the entire way. It had been especially necessary once they hit the Calm Belt. The island they had chosen was in the middle of that windless zone. By bringing the giant ship to an uninhabited island in the Calm Belt, they hoped to avoid anyone else stumbling across its location.

Lance had hoped a Sea King would appear and solve the problem of destroying the ship by sinking it as they were wont to do when encountering ships in their nests, but none appeared. He assumed the beasts had gazed upon the ship's great shadow and assumed it was one of them swimming near the surface.

"Finally!" cried one of the young men from the other team as he joined Lance and the other two. "I hope this is enough to keep it from being found again." The young blood like the others asked were all distantly related to Dragon. Lance still found it fascinating the kind of family Dragon came from. A Marine thoroughbred, through and through.

"I wish it were," said Maryanne, still focused on the ship. "But once a thing is found it is only a matter of time before it is found again. We're only delaying the inevitable with this."

Lance grimaced. Maryanne was their hopeless optimist, if she made a pessimistic statement then it must be so.

"But isn't this place remote enough to prevent anyone from finding it?" the young man said in huff. Dragon's cousin didn't know what to think of his Admiral's wife. The young Marine had missed out on all the fun when Maryanne had been at headquarters. All he knew were the stories and they just couldn't do the woman justice.

Maryanne glanced at him. "We found it, didn't we?" The young man didn't answer. Lance sighed. She had a point. It wasn't just the ship but the island itself she had been referring to. Its remote nature would just make it difficult and undesirable for the majority, but all things lost were eventually found. Roger and Raftel were proof of that.

"Was there really no way to destroy it?" said Dragon in a strained voice. He didn't like the idea of anyone finding the ship again. "I mean, Maryanne, you once could…"

"Once, I could have, but not since that encounter, have I been able to muster even a quarter of my former ability. Honestly, that's why I'm not bitter about my retirement," replied Maryanne.

Lance knew Maryanne had the capacity to be serious. However, he was so used to her less than serious self that seeing her like this disturbed him more that standing next to one of the greatest weapons of mass destruction in history.

"I think we should find a way to destroy it that doesn't involve creating something far worse," said Lance as he glanced at the ship. "For the world's sake."

"It is tragic that it will never be used for its primary purpose, but too many evil men exist," said Maryanne, her voice tinged with regret.

"What was its purpose?" asked Dragon's cousin with a scowl.

"To unite the seas… by destroying that which divides them. The Redline."

Dragon gazed back up at the ship. "To destroy the Redline… A natural consequence would be the ability to erase islands. It is unfortunate."

Lance stared at the unfortunate ship. "Maybe once it had been found again, that will be what it is used for."

"No," said Maryanne, her voice distant and scarlet eyes now a pale blue. "But when it is found again, there will be those who can stop it."

"You sound so sure," said the young man, skeptical.

Lance smiled, though. Maryanne sometimes could see the future. She must have been focusing on the ship just for that purpose. To see its possible fate.

"Well, I'm not going to go off and forget about it," said Dragon. "I will find a way to destroy it before it can be used against anyone."

Maryanne wrapped her arms around her stomach. "You'll try, but Luffy will beat you to the punch."

Before Lance could absorb all the implications of that statement, Dragon face-palmed and growled, "We are not naming our son Luffy."

Lance snorted. That argument again. Maryanne had been dead set on naming their son Luffy before she and Dragon were even dating. Lance was certain that if they had a son, he would be called Luffy. Maryanne's stubbornness expressed itself not through argument but by her charging off in her own direction making the rest of them scramble to follow after. If she decided their son's name was going to be Luffy, it was going to be Luffy, and no amount of naysaying by Dragon was going to change that. Monkey D. stubbornness was infamous but Tenaris stubbornness had proven mightier.

Lance took in her posture then smirked. "So how long until the bouncing bundle of miniature chaos arrives?" She beamed him with her sunshine grin while Dragon looked as if he had caught a glimpse of hell. Lance just guffawed at his friend's distress.

"I'm going to remember this when it's your turn," stated Dragon with a snarl.

"And me still a bachelor," replied Lance with a laugh. He patted his friend and brother-in-arms on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I promise to help entertain the little terror so you can rest, Haku. I did promise to be the child's godparent after all."

"Somehow the thought of you and my child conspiring fills me with dread."

"Haku, really? I think I'll make an excellent uncle," said Lance with wide-eyes innocence. Dragon just narrowed his eyes and the man laughed.

"Until that distant time when its existence can be addressed," said Maryanne as she turned to regard the ship one last time, "Pluton will sleep here."

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Well here's the next story in the Dark Sea Chronicles.


	2. The Terrible Truth

Previously on Dark Sea Chronicles...

After being assaulted by Pudding, Luffy, his friends and his niece arrive on Mendora where Luffy meets a friendly town of people who once flew White Beard's flag of protection. There he discovers his father one-time friend and his own godfather in Lance, the village head. While trying to recover his confidence, he is attacked by Law who is seeking the coordinates to Raftel. Luffy is killed in the conflict but revived by the mysterious ways of the Mendora people and the healer Grandmother Gwendolyn. After reviving, Luffy nearly disbands the Straw Hats for good but Dragon and Sabo arrive, and Dragon is able to talk his son out of it. Luffy then decides to confront Law about the nature of his attack and learns that Lucci of CP0 is holding Law's sister captive. He and Law team up to rescue Lami. During the battle Lucci is killed by Law after Luffy prevents the assassin from killing Law. During their escape, Luffy awakens to a startling new ability that quickly goes out of control. Law is able to stop it and the gain make it back to Mendora. Later the two crews arrive on Raftel where Law and Luffy swear an oath of brotherhood.

The story continues...

**Chapter 1: The Terrible Truth**

April 1, 801 WG

Robin stood before the nine blocks of the Rio Poneglyph. Her life's goal sat in front of her, all she had to do was look upon the characters of the Ancient Kingdom and she would complete the mission of the scholars of Ohara and her dream. Yet now she hesitated. Over two decades of purpose was about to be fulfilled and she found herself frightened. She had only ever dreamed of reading the true history, she had never once given a thought to what lay beyond. Probably because somewhere deep within herself she never thought she would actually succeed. Beyond this point lay the unknown.

There was also trepidation that she may come to wish she hadn't read the truth. The World Government had gone to such extremes to eradicate the events of the void century, even destroying a world treasure in the form of the Great Library of Ohara by burning the Tree of Knowledge. The outrage of such a sin could not be ignored, but the World Government believed itself immune to divine justice and thus far these beliefs had held when no obvious signs of celestial wrath was visited upon the tyrannical government in retribution. There had been a quaking when several nations of influence, particularly in West Blue where Ohara was, had raised voice in protest but that had eventually died with little bloodshed.

Whatever secrets the past held needed to be known. She would not let fear grant the World Government its final victory. She would know the truth and the reason why her people, her teachers, her mother, her friends had to die.

Taking a deep breath, she raised her eyes to the blocks and began to read.

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Law felt the wind shift and the countless voices that had been his guide for years began to yammer once again. They demanded his attention as they never had before. He looked over toward Luffy, who glanced in the direction his archeologist, Nico Robin, had disappeared. The voices were swarming him again and the young pirate remained ignorant to their presence. However, he was not oblivious to whatever was causing their anxiety.

Luffy stood, his face tight, his black hair waving counter to the breeze that blew over the island. Law rose and looked in the same direction. He sent out his senses, fearing an attack, even though they should have been the only ones on the lost isle. Malice filled the air, though it had no source, and drew the attention of the others. Even those with no known haki abilities were being affected.

Zoro abandoned his drink and stood, his hands gripping his sword hilts. The cook set down his carefully prepared dishes and came up to stand near the women. Ikkaku glared at the man but Nami ignored him as she raised her staff. The minks, Bepo and Carrot, raised their hands, electricity dancing around their nails. The reindeer had taken his chubby kung fu form and, skeleton, Brook had his cane sword out. The fishman, Jinbei, looked stern as he held his hands in his traditional karate style. Law's own men were on their feet.

"This gives me a chill in my bones," whispered the skeleton musician, for once forgoing cheap puns.

"Robin went up the hill to read the Poneglyph, is she all right?" asked Usopp as he readied his slingshot. With no idea where the threat was coming from, they had circled up. Nothing came at them, but the malice didn't dissipate, though, neither did it increase.

"Let's get up to where Robin is," suggested Nami.

"I don't like leaving the ship's unattended in this air," said the cyborg.

"And I don't want to take the girls with us. Franky, you stay and watch Lami and Ann along with the ships," said Luffy. Law grinned, Franky, the cyborg was a one-man army with all his enhancements and even his extra gear like General Franky. Nothing was going to harm those ships or his sister and Luffy's niece while he was on duty. The rest of them could travel together toward Robin. If something attacked it would be harder to surprise or overwhelm the two crews.

"Ji-kun!" protested Ann, too little to understand the mood or feel the threat the others felt. Lami clung to Law's hand. Waking up to learn their parents were dead and that her big brother was grown, and a pirate, had shaken the young girl. She could forgive the pirate part as long as her brother never left her again like he had that day. Lami was old enough to pick up the mood of the crews even if she couldn't sense the malice in the air.

"No buts!" said Luffy as he glared at his young niece. "You and Lami get to the Sunny and go into your room and stay there until I come get you. Franky will be outside standing watch. Do NOT cause him any trouble!"

Ann puffed her cheeks but conceded. She had been dodging Marines with her mother for the first three years of her life. She understood what she had to do even if she didn't like it.

"Onii-chan…" said Lami, gazing up at her brother.

"Do as he says," said Law, rubbing her head in reassurance. "We'll be back, but it will make things easier for us if we know you two are safe." Lami nodded, gave her brother a hug around his knee then ran over to join Ann and Franky.

Luffy and Law led the group inland while they stayed on their guard. Law glanced at his newly sworn brother. If he knew the Straw Hat captain, the young man should have been bounding ahead with the rest of the rushing to catch up. Instead Luffy stayed with them, only committing to a light jog to get him to his missing companion faster while keeping an eye out for threats. Had Law misunderstood him? He glanced at the rest of the Straw Hats, some were on guard, but a few others glanced at Luffy and frowned. Nami look especially troubled. Law took that as a sign that Luffy was indeed not acting like himself.

Law grimaced and returned his attention to the path ahead. Was this his fault? He couldn't help but think it was. He had betrayed and nearly killed Luffy only weeks ago. Or more accurately, he had killed Luffy. All of Luffy's vivre cards had burnt up as proof and the Straw Hat captain was now without his devil fruit powers because of it.

This had been no mere cardiac arrest event. According to the others, Luffy had been dead for two hours before the Mendorans could conduct a special ritual that restored him to life. They had been shocked it had worked, considering the delay, but the whole thing had left Luffy physically weak and now Law was seeing some of the mental damage it had caused.

Law had been blackmailed to take the actions he had by Lucci and the World Government when they revealed his sister, whom he had thought many years dead, to be alive along with several citizens from his home country. Law had been determined to save her, and them, no matter the cost. Lucci had demanded the coordinates to Raftel for unknown reasons. The actions Law had taken to acquire the coordinates had resulted in Luffy's death. When the Straw Hats had confronted Law later and learned of his sister's plight, they chose to help him. They saved Lami and the survivors of Flevance Kingdom.

Law had apologized several times for his actions and Luffy was tired of hearing them. He had forgiven Law the moment he realized the predicament he was in. It only made Law hate himself more for the choices he had made. He knew he would never doubt Luffy again and the sworn brotherhood only emphasized that belief. He knew the crew was still wary but were following their captain's lead on this matter. It didn't mean he didn't feel their chill when they interacted. Time alone would determine if they could forgive him. It was painful to see Luffy altered by his actions, scars that would never heal no matter how much time went by.

They arrived at the courtyard where the Rio Poneglyphs were located. Robin stood before them, unmoving.

"Robin?" said Luffy as they all stopped. "Are you all right?"

Law didn't think so, something was off with the woman right then. She turned around and smiled, her gaze was distant. Her blue eyes held an unnatural light.

"I fine, Luffy," she replied as she turned toward the crew. "I have learned the true history, just like I dreamed I would. Now we must go and inform the world of the truth. The truth of what the despicable Twenty Kings did to gain their exalted status."

"Robin?" Luffy looked even more concerned. Everyone became wary.

Law glanced at Robin. The Twenty Kings were the ones that formed the World Government eight hundred years ago, but it seemed odd for Robin to say it the way she had.

"Come Luffy! We must spread the truth; the world must know!" she said while reaching out to her captain.

This sounded bad, every instinct in Law screamed in protest of Robin's planned action. _What did she learn?_ he wondered as he turned toward the Poneglyphs. The World Government had buried this secret for eight hundred years. Was it that threatening or just that damning? He focused his attention on the Poneglyphs. He felt the voices speak as they always did when he approached Poneglyphs.

"Law? Wait!" cried Luffy.

Too late, his brother cried out in warning. Law placed his hand on the stone, understanding filled him at once. He understood the past and he understood what he must do. He must tell the world of this truth then… burn it all to the ground!

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Luffy stared in horror as the malice that filled the air poured itself into Law. His new brother smiled the same smile Robin had. When Law had reached toward the Poneglyph, Luffy had felt something tickle the back of his mind with alarm, like a memory of a nightmare. However, he had been too late to stop Law and now the man turned and gave Luffy a dark smile.

"I know the truth, and the whole world needs to learn it, too," he said.

"Captain?" squeaked Bepo, his crew staring at Law in growing horror. Luffy's own crew were equally alarmed.

"Law, snap out of it!" said Luffy.

"What's going on? What exactly did you 'learn'?" snapped Zoro.

Luffy turned alarmed eyes on his swordsman, his heart skipping a beat. "Don't ask that!" he cried.

But it was far too late.

"The truth," said Law then he began to recite what he had read. It contained the ideals of the Ancient Kingdom, no surprise and not troubling but then he reached the part of how the Ancient Kingdom had lost. Law described the final battle, of the Twenty Kings deploying a weapon known as Cronus. The weapon had been power incarnate and it had devastated the Ancient Kingdom, leaving the lifeless ruins that now stood and shattering the Family of D, the citizens of that nation. It also contained the terrible truth of how Cronus had come to be.

A serum and been given to several of their people, all but one had died terrible deaths that resulted in the destruction of the facility and all those who had been near the unfortunate. The survivor had lost his mind and destroyed everything in his path. The Twenty Kings had merely pushed the out of control man in the direction of the Ancient Kingdom then sat back and watched. The man had only stopped his rampage when he starved to death, his own madness depriving him of the will to take care of himself. Several nations had been destroyed before he collapsed and died. The Twenty Kings hadn't cared about the tremendous loss of life because they had won. They knew once the battered nations recovered if they remembered, they would turn on the them, so they erased it from history while everyone was still weak. Now no one knew the terrible atrocity they had summoned and the devastation they had allowed.

Luffy felt rage and hatred swell within him and his mind was nearly consumed before a small part screamed out. This wasn't his feelings! It was outrageous what had happened, but this anger wasn't his. This hate wasn't his. It was too intense for someone just learning about it. He had felt anger on the behalf of others before and he felt anger at something himself. He knew the difference of those feelings. This had the sensation of self-anger when he had never lived those events. He fought against the emotions that flooded his being and finally managed to drive it out.

He consciousness returned to the present and he looked around. Everyone was gone, walking back down the path toward their ships. They were going to spread the cursed history to the world and unleash a firestorm upon the World Government. This was not the intentions of he and his friends. This fury, this determination, this single-mindedness…

This was the will of the dead!

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Luffy rushed to get ahead of the crews. If they reached the ships, Franky and the girls would be caught up in this. He needed to wake everyone back up, break the hold of the wrathful dead. His lungs burned and his legs ached from his run. He was nowhere close to recovered from his resurrection. A ship was not a good place to recover stamina.

He couldn't believe how far ahead they had gotten before he regained consciousness. How long had he wrestled with his own sanity? He caught up to them at last, but the beach was in sight, a few dozen yards were left.

He launched himself at his possessed friends. He would just have to punch them back to their senses. He slammed a punch into Usopp. The sniper fell then rose again like the zombies of Thriller Bark.

"Come on, Captain, we must tell the world the truth," said Usopp as he reached toward Luffy.

Luffy stared in horror then launched another punch, this time at Zoro. How hard did he have to hit them to wake them up? Zoro didn't even flinch. Luffy cursed his lack of strength. He hadn't recovered that either.

Zoro grabbed Luffy's arm and twisted it causing Luffy to yell in pain. "Come on, Captain, we need to tell the world," said Zoro. Then Zoro frowned and stared at Luffy. But it wasn't Zoro staring at him. The eyes held an alien light to them. "You heard, yet you aren't willing to spread the word. You're resisting." The others stopped and turned, surrounding him.

"Luffy?"

Luffy felt his heart skip a beat. They were close enough that Franky could see them. If he came over…

"Franky! Don't come! They're possessed! Get the ships away from here! I'll settle this! Just don't let them have the-!" He shouts were cut off when Zoro twisted his arm even more and the shoulder popped out of its socket. Luffy bit back a scream. If he cried out it would only drive Franky, the remaining rational member of his crew to try to save him.

"Luffy!" Franky sounded both furious and terrified.

"Don't come!" gasped Luffy as Zoro slammed him into the ground, he still held the dislocated arm. It felt as if Zoro was one inch from tearing his arm completely off.

"Take those ships…" said Robin.

"And we'll tear him apart…" added Sanji.

"One limb at a time," finished Law.

"Guys, that is not funny! You're seriously hurting him! Zoro!" cried Franky. Luffy sensed the cyborg raising his arms to fire his strong right arm but hesitate. He was firing on his friends after all. It also meant he wasn't leaving which was what the angry spirits wanted.

"You just need to understand, then all this violence won't be necessary," said Nami.

Luffy panicked. If they recited the story like Law had, Franky would be possessed just like them. "Franky! Plug your ears! Don't listen to- Yahh!" Zoro pulled on Luffy's arm and he felt the flesh beginning to tear.

"ZORO!" screamed Franky.

Luffy felt Franky was about to attack. With a yell he let off the strongest haki blast he could muster. He didn't think it would work. Neither his nor Law's people were weak willed and would faint, but he didn't know what else to do. Maybe it would be enough to jar them awake, or perhaps the spirits would be knocked out. He was grasping at straws either way.

Zoro went limp and fell over, so did everyone else. Luffy lay there panting, thankful for the small miracle. Whether they would awaken as themselves or still possessed would remain to be seen.

"Luffy!" Franky called again. "Are you all right?"

The hair on the back of Luffy's neck prickled. "Don't come!" he screamed as felt a homicidal presence materialize behind him. He sat up and grabbed his injured shoulder. He glanced at Franky who was preparing his laser beam while staring beyond Luffy in terror. Luffy shuffled his knees so he could look behind him and gasped.

A red mist was gathering over his unconscious friends, but it had already formed two blood-red eyes that glared at him.

"You dare interfere with our purpose once again, Moondancer!"

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This takes up within maybe hours if not minutes after the ending of "A Matter of Trust".

The "previously on" is just the cliff notes of the previous novel, but you might be less lost if you actually read the preceding entries for Dark Sea Chronicles.


	3. Bargaining with the Dead

Chapter 2: Bargaining with the Dead

April 1, 801 WG

_Moondancer?_ was all Luffy could think as he stared at the apparition's eyes. Each one had to be bigger around than he was tall, and the red mist gathered to give the impression of lids and brows, the only part of the face that was required to produce a viable glare effect on the victim. Nothing else formed into anything recognizable as a head or body, something he could strike. But even at his most reckless, Luffy didn't think he would attempt to punch a ghost.

Scratch that, he definitely would have before death had injected a long overdue dose of caution to his nature. Now he stayed where he knelt his good hand holding his dislocated shoulder in place. The pain that pulsed through him in time with his own rapid heartbeat was the only then keeping him in the present and aware that this was not some hideous illusion.

"Luffy!" cried out the shipwright again. The Straw Hat captain could hear the helplessness in his friend's voice. Franky would have attacked by now despite his captain's orders if not for the fact that one could not shoot a ghost any more than punch one. The attempt would put their now unconscious friends in danger.

Luffy took a deep breath as he tried to settle his nerves. He was in unfamiliar territory. His friends, his niece, his friend and brother, and Law's sister were all in danger, yet he couldn't do a damn thing about it because he couldn't fight! Even if his arm wasn't injured, he still couldn't fight. Even if he had his Gum Gum Fruit and was one hundred percent, he still couldn't fight. This was not something he could punch his way out of.

Luffy's mind whirled as it tried to sort out all it knew about this thing. When in battle he could learn and determine an opponent's weakness and abilities to counteract them. He needed to do that now without fighting. His mind seized upon the realization that he had affected it with haki. It hadn't appeared until he had driven it from his friends' minds with conqueror's haki.

He spread his awareness out, trying to sense its actual form. Trying to find the place to attack it, how to attack it. The apparition only grew larger in his awareness, like a mass of people pressed together while all vying for attention. He felt the hatred and rage more keenly than before and he pulled back before he could be lost in the sea of churning dark emotions.

_No good_, thought Luffy as he gasped. The apparition had no physical form to strike, it was nothing but a mass of will. That was why his will had affected it but that was end of what he could do.

His mind stopped at another memory. The apparition had not only called him Moondancer and declared it was being thwarted _again_. Whoever this Moondancer was, they had managed to stop it once before. Once before? Luffy paled as he realized a terrifying truth. Roger had been here before. Roger had read the Poneglyphs before. Had Roger been possessed originally? Was that when it had been thwarted by this Moondancer?

_If it was stopped once, it can be stopped again_, thought Luffy as he gritted his teeth, determination driving him to his feet. _It feels haki, maybe if I just blast it repeatedly it will return to where it came from_. Luffy closed his eyes and focused his will, sending out a pulse.

The apparition hissed in what Luffy hoped was pain. He opened his eyes as he sent another blast out. The image of the eyes blurred, and it hissed again. _I can do this_, he thought, sending another pulse. Conqueror's haki wasn't something he was supposed to use frequently. Usually he only needed to use it once in a battle to cut down the chafe. It was not meant to substitute for a punch and the consecutive mental punches were turning out to be a double-edged sword. He felt a headache begin to materialize, threatening to break his concentration. The fourth blast lanced his forehead with white hot agony and didn't strike with nearly enough force as the first three.

The apparition that had almost dissolved into mist reformed with a malicious laugh. The eyes returned and now it formed a fang filled snout that opened wide as if to swallow him whole. Luffy was vaguely aware of Franky shouting for him but he could hear little and see less with his head feeling like it was about to split in two. He couldn't muster the will to strike a fifth time as the thing reached toward him with those terrible jaws.

"You're not Moondancer, you're just a child. We can use you to spread the word to all," declared the apparition as it closed its jaws around him.

Luffy raised his good arm above his head in a futile gesture of defense. Then he was in the maw. His headache turned to blinding agony as the dead began to invade his mind, trying to turn him to their view. The sensation was a hundred times worse than when Pudding had tried. He had managed to drive her probing hand back before she could grasp his memories and draw them out. This… They weren't trying to draw anything out, they were trying to push things in. His will, weakened by his failed attack, could do nothing to stop it.

Luffy mustered as much stubbornness as he could to stonewall the ghosts. They would not change his mind with false emotions he did not feel. It was all he had left to cling to in this maelstrom.

"So, you need convincing, Moonchild? An understandable stance," said the apparition. "Then I will convince you with eight hundred years of crimes."

Images and voices poured into him. Atrocities, scandals, deceptions destruction. Eight hundred years of World Government lies and murders were on full display for him. He came to know more about the World Government's actions than anyone living. He felt the pain and fear of the victims and his anger rose as the World Government continued to tout themselves the source of justice and order in the world. Worse, he began to recognize some of the events from his own travels.

He saw the fall of the Vinsmokes, a family of nobility and kindness in the past, to propaganda and deception of the World Government agents, eager to take their territory and remove the only rival to their rule. He saw them pit nations against each other to keep them divided. He saw them encourage depravity of the aristocracy against the commons. He saw Law's own homeland's tumble into ruin through greed and lies that damned the people. The destruction of Ohara and blackening of their good name. He saw the terrible truth of Dressrosa, the World Government had known Riku was innocent and yet they had allowed his fall and disgrace, not even trying to rescue the royal family because they feared the peace and stability he represented with his policies. The corruption of the Marines that they covered and encouraged to prevent the Marines from every following their oaths to move against them. More and more heinous acts continued. The bridge to nowhere that was worked by generations of slaves, stolen from unaffiliated nations that were simply too poor to join. He saw the tragedies of countless individuals through fake justice like Franky's master. He saw the murder of those depending on rescue by those that were supposed to rescue them.

Anger grew within the memories and the ghosts relived their worst days of their lives to him. However, he felt sorrow fill him. He could understand their anger. He could understand their hate. But what they desired would only grow these sorrows. They wanted vengeance but that would only make more victims. His mind, almost as a counterpoint, small as it was to all the terribleness filling him now, drew on his memories. Islands where people smiled, where people laughed, where people loved. People who were alive now. People and nations he had helped. He recalled Alabasta's desperation and their joy when they were saved. He remembered the darkness and fear of Skypeia and the celebration when their nightmare was ended. Water Seven, Fishman Island, Dressrosa, Wano. Mindless destruction was not the answer! He thought it. He felt it. He let his feelings fill him, not to drive out the invading ghosts but to make _them_ understand!

They wanted him to understand and act on that understanding. But he understood them so well it hurt, now they needed to understand him.

The ghosts deepest within him, hesitated as he pushed back with his memories. Then the apparition pulled away as if he were a venomous creature able to do it harm. Maybe he was.

Luffy fell to his knees gasping, his head throbbed but his thoughts and feelings were clearer than they had ever been in his life.

"You understand…" it said in disbelief.

Luffy didn't say anything. He knew what the apparition meant. Luffy understood more than anyone how unfair the world was. How unjust it was. That was why he walked his own path, why he pursued freedom. He did not except the world as it was. And while he could only effect what was right in front of him, what was right in front of him would benefit from his view on things, his morals, his honor… dare he think it… his _justice_.

"I don't believe this world is lost," whispered Luffy. "There are still good people trying to live good lives in it. Would you really do to them what was done to you? What's going to happen to all of them if you get your way?" His mind flashed on Ann. "I still believe in the future. My father is fighting to overturn the World Government. There are those who love their people. And people who love their king in return. There are those who would change this justice of the World Government to what it should have been. To grant freedom to the people and true peace to the oceans."

"Your words are hollow, Moonchild," said the apparition with a snarl. "They have been spoken before by Moondancer. Moondancer spoke of a beloved that was working to change the justice of their Marines. Yet nothing has changed. Ohara, Dressrosa, Flevance. How many more nations must burn? How many more innocents must be slain before this ends?"

"How many will die through your actions?" countered Luffy.

"At least there will be an end," replied the apparition.

"Dragon is working on it, but he only got the Revolutionary Army together in the last decade. He's already liberated several nations. Freed hundreds!"

"Dragon?" the apparition cooed, sounding thoughtful.

"That's my father," replied Luffy, not sure what it had been questioning but deciding the answer the most obvious.

"Indeed. That is the one Moondancer spoke of, you are the child of Moondancer and Whitedragon. Within you, her tragic end is known."

Luffy froze. His mother was Moondancer? He had assumed Moondancer had been part of Roger's crew for the apparition to have been thwarted before it could do anything. But according to Lance, Maryanne had been a Marine. She wouldn't have been part of a pirate crew, much less Roger's.

"I thought Roger and his crew were the only ones to come here. Was my mother with the crew when they read the Poneglyph?"

"Moondancer was not with them, but she appeared before they could leave the island. With wings of light she returned their minds to clarity. The battle was fierce."

Luffy felt a blush enter his cheeks. His mother had done a better job of fighting with this thing. Here he was trying to talk it down because he couldn't do anything else and she actually beat it up first. It made him proud even as it reminded him how far he had fallen in terms of strength. Whatever those wings of light were, they must have been the key to her success.

Still in the end, it sounded like she had to talk it down as well. At least it was listening to him rather than shoving him aside.

"She relied on another to change the world and the world has not changed and she is gone," said the apparition.

"Tou-chan is working on it still and he has changed things," repeated Luffy.

"What will you do, then? Sit back and wait for the world to change, as she?"

Luffy paused. He didn't think his mother was passive as much as she had supported his father. But what did he know? He realized he didn't know anything about his parents. His grandfather had never even told him who his father was before Water Seven, and he never mentioned his mother. Ace had known more about his parents then Luffy had known about his.

Luffy knew one thing, though. He waited on no one. "I will not sit by and do nothing." He swallowed as it dawned on him what this would mean for him. He had set out to see to become the Pirate King because he desired freedom. He had chosen as he journeyed to aid various people and nations by extension because of the relationships he had developed. What the apparition wanted was a more active role from him. For him not to just passively travel and maybe intervene in a local crisis.

The apparition focused on him, its blood red eyes focusing on his brown ones. Within them, Luffy saw death and destruction on a scale he couldn't even comprehend. His mind reflected on his brother's death, hunted before he was even born for the crime of existing. His life as a pirate his last desperate attempt to grasp a fragment of freedom for a life devoid of it. He then thought of Ann and all her potential and that if the world ever learned of her existence, she would be just as scorned as her father.

Luffy gritted his teeth. "I will protect all I can 'til the world changes."

"Then protect the Grandline, Pirate King, to the best your mortal self can," replied the apparition. "But know this, if a third awakening should happen before the world has changed, then there will be no further hesitation."

"I understand," said Luffy, feeling he would be crushed under the weight that had just settled upon his shoulders.

The mist dissipated and everything returned to normal. Luffy sighed in relief then his body lost what little strength it had, and he collapsed as darkness took him.


	4. Terrifying News

Chapter 3: Terrifying News

April 1, 801 WG

Law stirred to the sound of the cyborg's growling accent.

"Luffy! Wake up!"

"Ease up," second a second low tenor. It sounded familiar but Law couldn't place where he heard it before never mind who it was. "He's not dead, just worn out."

"Are you sure? He's as gray as that night!"

"His breathing is steady and his pulse strong. See to the others, I think they're coming around."

Law's returning awareness brought a delayed sense of alarm as he realized he was lying on the ground with no idea how he got there. He checked for pains and found only a slight ache from the parts of him that were against the ground. No other injuries presented themselves and he could feel his toes moving within his shoes. His fingers flexed in response to his mental commands.

The next alarm sounded when his mind replayed what he had just heard. Something was wrong with Luffy! He recalled his pale skin, sunken eyes and cold body after the psychic outburst that devastated the Marine fleet and nearly destroyed his ship, his crew and himself when they had escaped Vegapunk's island with the survivors from Flevance last month. Had a similar event happened again? Why couldn't he remember anything after reading the Poneglyph?

Law pushed himself up. Those answer would come, right now his brother was injured. He needed to get the reindeer so the two could tend to Luffy.

"Tra-o!" cried Franky. Law looked up and gasped. They were mere yards from the ship and the rest of their crews were sprawled across the sand in a loose circle. A man in a hood and cloak and a long object wrapped in cloth attached to his back cradled the Straw Hat captain, who looked as if he had just climbed out of his grave… again.

The man pulled back Luffy's red, open-front shirt, exposing his right shoulder. It was dark with heavy bruising, oozing blood in certain spots and very obviously dislocating, judging by the unnatural angle the arm was hanging from his body. The man took the arm and, with a grunt, popped it back into place with practiced ease. The shoulder was still a hideous mass of discolored flesh and torn skin. Someone had tried to tear Luffy's arm off.

That begged the question of who had attacked and how. He eyed the stranger with suspicion, but the cyborg wasn't worried about the man as he moved among his comrades trying to rouse them. Law looked to his own people. None appeared injured, just unconscious. He glanced between them and Luffy, torn.

At that moment, Zoro awoke. He pushed himself into a sitting position and rubbed his head. "What the hell happened?"

Franky went off on him. "You don't remember?! You nearly tore Luffy's arm off!"

"Why the hell would I do that?" demanded Zoro then he seemed to notice what Law had noticed first, their change in location. "When did we get back to the beach?"

"You really don't remember?" said Franky, incredulous. "You wandered back toward the ships all hollering about the truth. Luffy ran up yelling to get the ships away from here and not to listen to anything you said. That's when you all turned on him."

Law felt his blood run cold. It sounded like they had been controlled by someone. Not dissimilar to how Doflamingo controlled people with his strings except the victims remained nightmarishly aware of their actions. This, however, seemed worse to him. At least those who were aware had fought to resist the heinous orders their bodies had been given. Even being able to call out warnings to others in attempt to save them from injury and death.

Zoro paled as his less than swift brain came to the same realization. He stared down at his own hands and began to shake with emotion. Law felt for the man. Zoro had hurt, nearly maimed his own captain and didn't even remember doing it.

Bepo rolled over and began to snore, slipping from unconsciousness to sound sleep. Sigh. Law smiled in relief and general compassion for his friend and subordinate. The others were sitting up and began trying to sort themselves out. Law decided they were fine. He glanced over toward the Straw Hats. No surprise, the women were awake and taking in their surroundings. Jinbei was on his feet appearing upset, more so than the situation warranted. The cook shook his head. The long-nosed sniper had gone over to slumberland just as Bepo had, the reindeer doctor having joined him. The skeleton was either asleep or playing possum. At least he hoped it was one of those two and that this incident hadn't inadvertently driven his soul into the afterlife for good.

With an irritated sigh as his brother's irresponsible doctor, Law rose and headed over toward Luffy. Everyone else seemed to have missed Franky's description of events as some were beginning to echo Law and Zoro's earlier confusion. Law ignored them; the cyborg shipwright could answer their questions.

He knelt by the hooded man and Luffy and began probing the young captain's injured shoulder. His Op Op fruit ability, combined with observational haki, allowed him to "see" into the body and determine the course of the treatment. He grimaced. Major blood vessels and nerves had held but everything else had either stretched or been torn. The ligaments and tendons were going to be especially problematic as they didn't heal easily.

He would need his surgeon's glue for the torn muscles and skin. The stretched ligaments and tendons were going to require a sling, rest and, later, special exercises. However, Luffy was in need of special exercises already due to the muscle mass he lost in his resurrection.

"Lance? What are you doing here?" It was Nami that spoke.

_Lance?_ thought Law. Then he remembered the Mendoran who had spoken for the town when Law had returned to apologize for his actions and beg them the favor of taking in his surviving countrymen. The man then had worn only the winter's cape that covered his shoulders and torso for extra warmth but didn't interfere with his ability to handle objects or hunt. The outfit he wore now was much different. The hooded cape was long enough to reach to his calf-high boots and had no front, though it could be closed. The fur vest, flannel shirt, and mittens had been replaced with a metal studded leather vest, thick wool shirt, and chain and leather gauntlets that extended part way up his arm like bracers. Down lined pants switched with wool and metal-lined leather shields. The boots were thick with shin guards and metal toes.

Lance was dressed as a warrior not a hunter. The cape, he now realized, was thick and hung away from the body of its own accord. It could probably thwart arrows and would throw off the aim of a sniper by concealing the body's location within it. He eyed the wrapped pole-like object on his back, wondering what weapon it concealed.

He returned his mind to the present in time to hear, Lance's response.

"I'm here to call on as much aid as possible. I've already alerted Dragon, but I fear we will need more than him to prevent the worst-case scenario. The thing I've been dreading for the last two decades has come to pass," he said in a grave voice. He stood as he spoke while still cradling Luffy. Law stood as well.

"The World Government has located Pluton and they are planning to use it. Against whom, I have no idea at this time, but they are making it ready to sail and may even be in route to its intended victim as we speak."

88888888888888888888888

Everyone stared at Lance as if they hadn't heard him. Pluton, one of the ancient weapons, and the only one that was an actual weapon and not a person with special abilities, had fallen into the hands of the World Government. For Franky, it was Water Seven and Eines Lobby all over again. He had burned the plans, the only thing that could be used to undo Pluton, to prevent the World Government from getting them and building more. Now they had the original.

Then something else penetrated the fog of despair that filled the shipwright's mind and he turned to regard Lance.

"You've been dreading this for the last two decades?"

Lance sighed and shifted his hold on the unconscious Straw Hat captain. The young man might as well have been a small child in Lance's muscular arms.

"Maryanne found Pluton twenty-years ago and came to Haku and me for helping in hiding it again," replied the Mendoran. Haku was what Lance called Dragon, it was a nickname derived from the time when Dragon had been known as Admiral Hakuryu. Franky still couldn't believe that the world's most dangerous criminal and leader of the Revolutionary Army had been a Marine Admiral that went by the code name "White Dragon". Then again that may have been why Dragon was so good at what he did. He had training.

"Maryanne? Luffy's mother?" said Robin, probably for Law's benefit. He hadn't been there when Lance original dropped all these trivia bombs on them. Law went from being confused to shocked.

"That means Dragon has been aware of where Pluton was," said Jinbei. "Why hasn't he deployed it against the World Government himself. That could have made things much easier for him."

"While completely defeating the purpose of his revolution," replied Lance. The fishman looked abashed but Lance waved his hand. "No, I understand your ponderings, Jinbei. However, Pluton was never meant to be used on people. It was created to tear down the greatest barrier to freedom, the Redline."

"Without that the only thing hindering the creation of the All Blue would be the Grandline," said Law without realizing the significance his description had on one of the Straw Hats. Franky glanced at Sanji who had paled at Law's words.

"Something powerful enough to break the Redline would be strong enough to destroy an island," said Franky, beginning to understand what those ancient shipwrights had been striving for and the unintended consequences of their actions. That had been the peace they had wanted, and it had been thwarted by greedy, power loving humans. Now Pluton was nothing but a deadly threat rather than a means to a united ocean.

"Indeed. It was too big and too strong for us to break. So all we could do was hide it," said Lance with resigned sigh.

"And pray no one found it," said Law's female subordinate. Ikkaku? Can't be, that sounded like a man's name.

"No, we knew that was pointless. Maryanne said it herself then; once something is found it is only a matter of time before it is found again. Haku vowed to find a way to destroy it before it could be used against anyone." A thought flashed in Lance's brown eyes and he laughed.

"What is it?" said Zoro, he still looked distraught over the harm he had done his captain but was refusing to let it drag him down.

"I just remembered something Maryanne said to Haku about it." He snorted again then continued, "She said, Luffy would beat him to it."

Everyone stared for a full thirty seconds as they tried to process what Lance had just said. "Was she clairvoyant?" asked Jinbei at last.

"It was better to believe that she was. She was accurate enough. She just couldn't make it happen on command without earning a splitting headache," replied Lance with a chuckle.

"Shouldn't we be more worried about who is being targeted rather than what was said in the past?" stated Law, sounding irked. Probably because he had been caught in the Straw Hats' flow again when the matter at hand was serious. Franky suppressed a grin, but only because the matter was serious.

"Right, I spoke with Haku one more time before making landfall. His scouts were able to locate that behemoth fairly quickly. Since its as slow as a turtle on land, the thing has to take a direct route. No one has the patience to do evasive maneuvers with that thing. It's heading for Moady, which I assume is to prep it for traveling to the other side of the Redline."

"Moady?" asked Chopper.

"Saboady's twin on this side of the Grandline. There is a way to navigate back the other way after all," replied Jinbei. "They are looking to coat the ship and ride the countercurrent back toward Paradise."

One of Law's crew, a man who wore his hat so low on his head, his eyes appeared covered, appeared and handed Law something. Law took it and began tending to Luffy. Franky returned his focus to Lance and the discussion.

"So, how long until the reach Moady?" asked Nami.

"Probably two weeks and then they'll need to coat all their ships for the journey. Considering its size, that will take longer than the usual three days. I'm certain," replied Lance.

"Ships?" inquired bear mink.

"She needs an escort fleet. Pluton was not designed to fight nor travel long distances on her own. It was built around the weapon itself and has little spare room for crew. They need other ships just to carry the supplies and they'll add a few to act as guards to keep her from being harassed by pirates. It wouldn't be that hard to take her from her crew. It's the sinking that we'll have trouble with."

"In other words, we'll be contending with several battleships while trying to destroy a ship that doesn't sink easily," said a large man from Law's crew. That sounded pretty hopeless.

"She was empty of all ammo when we found her," said Lance. "The World Government probably found her a while ago and just finished recreating the ammo she is supposed to use, which is non-standard. Considering this is island busting shots, I imagine they make a big boom when they explode."

Franky wondered why he was bringing that up, but Law stopped what he was doing and grinned.

"So, we need to get aboard the ship and ignite the magazine," said Law. "These special explosives should be powerful enough to destroy the ship even if it isn't fired from a cannon."

"That's a good plan," said Usopp. He planted one fist on his hip and thumped his chest. "And I the great Usopp, will brave the deadly ship and its Marine crew. Risking life and limb to torch the magazine and destroy the ancient weapon."

"Uh-huh," said Lance in a skeptical tone. "You do realize that you will be literally risking life and limb since I have no idea how sensitive that ammo is, and there is a high probability that they will explode as soon as you light them."

"Huh?"

"I got a good look at the insides of that ship when we hid her twenty years ago. The ammo must have been very sensitive because the magazine is made with non-reactive metal, copper to be precise. The walls are thick, and a heavy door separates it from the main hall. You will have to run into the bowels of the ship, open that door, and hurl both oil and torch into the room, making certain to land both on the ammo itself so that it actually catches fire. I don't know how long it will take to explode but it come happen immediately."

Usopp paled and began babbling about fear-of-dying-in-explosions-disease, which was about right. Franky sighed but no one was happy with Lance's description. If they used this plan, there was a good chance one of them would die. However, if Pluton wasn't stopped thousands would die.

"Can't Sabo burn the ship if Dragon is already in pursuit?" asked Robin.

Lance shook his head. "In theory, if he could get his fire up to the necessary temperature, he might be able to. Pluton is made of Adam's Wood and resistant to burning. I surmise Haku is going to try to get him on the ship and have Sabo torch the interior until the copper magazine heats up enough to ignite the interior. He could pour his fire down the corridor from the deck, thus giving him better odds. Not to mention being a logia offers its own defense."

"If you thought this out that far why are you seeking us out?" asked Law as he finished bandaging Luffy's shoulder and placing it in a makeshift sling. "It sounds like you two have a solid plan and Dragon isn't a flake."

"Because, neither he nor I earned are ranks in the Marines nor Haku's continued success as the leader of the Revolutionary Army by relying on only one plan," stated Lance in blunt tone.

"So, we're the fall back in case Dragon screws up," said Law. "Even, though, he's better equipped to handle this kind of confrontation."

"You have an agile and speedy submarine and a ship made of Adam's Wood. You are not exactly lightweights. Besides better to have a plan B and not need it then to have no plan B should plan A fail."

Franky couldn't argue that logic. Still there was one problem… "If Pluton will be at the Redline crossing in two weeks, we don't have a chance of catching it. We're on the other end of the Grandline, it will take several weeks to travel that way."

"That's right! We can't catch it from here!" agreed Usopp.

"However, Pluton is predicted to be heading to Paradise because of its current destination," said Nami. "And we are on the backside of Reverse Mountain. We can cut them off in Paradise if we ride Reverse Mountain again."

"That works, but we still need to figure out where they are ultimately going," said Ikkaku. "Once they dive, Dragon's scouts will lose them, and they could travel underwater longer than necessary just to throw off any eyes in Paradise."

"We might be able to narrow down the list of targets if we try to figure out which nations have angered the World Government recently. They would likely use that as a pretense to showcase the might of their weapon to the world," said Robin.

"Did you and Dragon discuss that while you were on your way here?" asked Zoro.

"We did," said Lance. He grimaced. "There are just too many possibilities, particularly among the nations you people aided."

Franky felt himself grow cold. If the World Government was looking for a choice of sacrifices, a nation friendly to the notorious Straw Hats would definitely make the cut. It would strike a double blow to them. They had friends on those islands! If they cited their aid of the Straw Hat Pirates, then other nations would be less willing to let them approach. Their travel would be severely limited. With no safe harbor, the Marines might finally capture them. That may have even been the intention.

Law looked as if he was coming to the same conclusion as he ground his teeth. They were pirates, and pirates shouldn't be risking themselves over others' politics. They had intervened numerous times for the sake of friends in local issues, but they would be going to war with the World Government as they tried to execute a problem nation. However, that problem nation could very well be their friends and they could not, would not, allow them to be killed!

"We should probably get moving now," said Jinbei. "We'll need time to figure out their final destination and I rather be closer to their possible victims than still on this side."


	5. At the Beginning

Chapter 4: At the Beginning

April 14, 801 WG

"Oh Laboon! It's been so long!"

Luffy twitched at the sing-song tenor's cry. His limbs felt like lead and his right shoulder was numb. At least he wasn't in pain, which was what he had been expecting after facing down the Malice of the World. Malice of the World? Where did that thought come from? Then again considering conglomeration of dead spirits monolithic hatred toward the World Government, it did seem appropriate. But naming things wasn't his forte so why was he suddenly thinking of that thing as something dangerous and cool sounding as Malice of the World. He gave up within a few seconds when all that thinking threatened to intensify his headache which he awoke to being nothing more than a very dull throb. Thinking wasn't his forte either so maybe he shouldn't be doing that, at least not right now.

His attention turned back to the sounds filtering into space he occupied, but his awareness of the waking world was slower to return. Everything just wanted to slip back into sweet oblivion. So, he didn't understand what was being shouted outside at first. It even took him a moment to realize it was Brook that was shouting despite him having the most distinct combination of voice and speaking style in the whole world.

"I know, Laboon! We didn't mean to break our promise! I hung around just for everyone else that couldn't be here."

_Huh? Laboon? What?_

Luffy opened his eyes and looked around. It was the bed in Chopper's office. No one was there and daylight filtered in through the partially open door. An IV was attached to his arm and hung next to the bed. He struggled to sit up, feeling weaker than ever and not liking the feeling. Whatever recovery he had managed since his revival had been lost.

Luffy groaned from aches as well as annoyance at his current condition. He swung his legs over the bed's side, placing his bare feet on the floor. His hat sat on the desk across from him. His right arm was in a sling. For a moment he wondered why until his sluggish brain recalled that Zoro had nearly torn it off while he had been possessed. He pulled back his shirt to examine it but when he checked the condition of the injured shoulder there was no bruising. No sign that it had ever been injured despite the general numbness he awoke with. Odd.

He tried to stand but his knees wobbled, and he sat back on the bed. Frustrated, he growled then took a deep breath. He reached up with his left hand and gripped the bed post for support as he tried to stand again. This time he managed to get to his feet. He felt a sharp tug on the inside of his left elbow and remembered the IV. With grimace he pulled it out. Chopper could yell at him later for doing that, but he needed to go out and see everyone. He had to confirm with his own eyes they were fine. He was sure they were. He had been treated and Brook was singing outside but still he needed the reassurance of actually seeing they were all right after being possessed. Leaning against the wall as he shuffled toward the door, Luffy headed out.

He blinked at the brilliant light of the midday sun until his eyes adjusted. Ocean lay to one side and a wall of unyielding red rock lay to the other. He tilted his head up and saw the top of a lighthouse peering over a cliff before the red rock continued into the sky. He heard water roaring but it lay beyond the bow and the forward deck blocked his view. However, he recognized the rock, the towering cliffs belonged only to the Redline.

That lighthouse…

His mind finally took in the echoing moaning sounds and he realized it was the cries of a happy island whale. Brook's statements finally translated in his mind.

Laboon! They were at the entrance to the Grandline! When did they get here and why were they here?

Confused, Luffy stepped forward and away from the door onto the grass covered deck. His knees threatened to give way once he lost the support of the wall and he shook like a newborn fawn as he tried to remain standing.

"Luffy!"

Nami was suddenly next to him, putting his arm around her neck and keeping him from falling forward. The others seemed to materialize around him, though he could have sworn the deck was empty when he stepped out.

"Let me get you something to eat," said Sanji as he vanished back to his kitchen. "You must be starving."

Luffy didn't feel hungry, which was not a sign he didn't need food. It just meant his stomach was even lazier than the rest of him. After a lifetime of being the most diligent and hardest working part of him when it came to anything that wasn't training that was irritating and alarming. Ever since he returned from the lands of the dead, his stomach had been slower to awaken than he. His appetite had also not recovered. He still ate twice what anyone else his size would eat but the feasts he would down before were now far too much for him. He just didn't have the room for them since losing his devil fruit.

Chopper climbed onto his back and checked his shoulder himself. "Can you move your right arm, Luffy?" he asked as he prodded it. "I need to see how stiff it's gotten."

"Huh?"

"Luffy, you've been asleep for two weeks," said Nami as she helped Luffy walk toward the swing. It was a place for him to sit that wasn't inside and wasn't on the ground. He didn't think he could make it to the ground without falling on his butt. The effort to get to the swing exhausted and winded him. He sat there gasping as he clutched the left rope to keep himself upright.

"Luffy?" Chopper's voice was low and full of concern and Nami bent over to peer into his face. Luffy wanted more than anything to reassure them but didn't have the energy to do it.

"Just give me a second, Chopper," Luffy finally managed to say after a half-a-minute of just breathing as he pressed his forward against the rope. "I'll see to my arm then."

"Maybe wait until you've eaten and have some energy again," suggested Nami.

"I'll get Luffy something to drink while Sanji makes the meal," said Carrot. The bunny mink turned and trotted toward the galley.

"Make sure it's something with calories," Nami called after her. Carrot waved her hand at the ginger-haired navigator before disappearing inside.

"Sorry, I'm causing you nothing but trouble lately," said Luffy, feeling some of his earlier depression returning.

"That's not true, Luffy!" snapped Chopper as he jumped back down on the grass.

"Indeed! Franky told us what happened," said Nami. "Zoro's all upset because he was the one used to hurt you."

Luffy flinched. It wasn't Zoro's fault. Everyone had gotten possessed by that thing. It was more shocking he hadn't, and he didn't even know why. Scratch that, he had an idea. It had something to do with his mother. The Malice of the World had mistaken him at first for her before realizing they were related. He then remembered what he had had to promise the thing to get to go back to sleep.

Luffy's face must have revealed his thoughts because Nami asked, "What's wrong, Luffy?" The Straw Hat captain didn't respond right away.

He took a deep breath as the enormity of what needed to be done sank into him. He had to protect the Grandline from all harm. Worse, while he had been asleep, he had seen something that told him he would soon be called to action. A vision of some future calamity. But he didn't understand what had been happening in it. He needed to talk with his crew and pick their collective brains for information, for ideas.

"Luffy, you're awake," said a familiar tenor followed by a thump of someone landing on his deck.

Luffy turned his head to see who had returned to the ship and gasped. Lance stood there, wearing a cape and some kind of long weapon on his back and looking very imposing. Seeing his godfather like this suddenly made his claim to being a former Marine believable, not that he ever thought that man had lied to him he just hadn't looked the part before.

Law landed next along with Crocus, the lighthouse keeper and Roger's former physician.

"It's wonderful to see you kids again and Laboon is over the moon," said Crocus. "I'm glad you were able to keep your promise and to discover the true fate of the Rumbar Pirates. Brook and Laboon are having an emotional reunion right now." The old doctor turned his head sideways. "You look quite the worse for wear, Straw Hat."

"I feel the worse for wear," said Luffy with a weak laugh. Carrot reappeared with some type of vegetable juice and held it out to her captain. Luffy hooked his arm around the rope, he was still having trouble staying in his seat, and took it from her. He sipped it at first. Vegetable, no matter what form they took, just weren't his thing but he knew he needed to drink it. Sanji had probably helped prepare it, it tasted wonderful.

He knew better than to gulp it. After spending weeks with a rebelling stomach, he knew not to swallow large amounts of anything less his stomach protest the intrusion. Fortunately, his stomach accepted the offering with a mild gurgle. At least it wasn't waking up grumpy.

After Luffy had finished his drink he smiled and thanked Carrot. He then turned his attention toward Lance and Law.

"I knew we were coming back here after reaching Raftel, but I didn't know you wanted to too, Law," said Luffy. He then glanced at Lance. "But Lance, why are you here?"

"We're all here for the same reason, Luffy," said Law look uncomfortable. "Lance, here, arrived just at the tail end of that spirit thing's attack."

"You were hit with that, too?" asked Crocus. "I vaguely remember getting possessed by it."

"That would have been nice to know when we were here the first time," said Nami, irked. Luffy didn't say anything but agreed one hundred percent, not that his younger self would have heeded the warning. They didn't have Robin at the time so wouldn't have thought anything about reading any impossible rocks. In fact, the poneglyphs hadn't even come up then. He went to distract himself by taking another sip from his glass only to remember that it was empty. Robin appeared with a sly smile holding a pitcher. Luffy looked at her sheepish and held out his glass.

Crocus grimaced. "I didn't think of it. Honestly, I didn't realize it would cause you that much of a problem. We shook it off, didn't think you wouldn't be able to do the same."

"You didn't shake it off. My mother kicked its ass," said Luffy from around his glass. Everyone stared at him. He looked back at them in confusion. "Franky told you what happened, right?" he asked as pulled his glass away from his mouth.

"Franky told us some sort of red misty thing came out of our bodies after we fell over unconscious, formed a mouth and swallowed you up before dispersing," said Nami.

"Whatever conversation you had with it, no one else heard," said Lance. "You may not have been communicating with any conventional method, which is why you were worn out."

That made sense. As much as ghostly happening ever could. Mendoran were heavy into all things spirits and auras, so of course Lance wasn't blinking at any of this talk when most people would have been wondering what the crews had been smoking just prior to the incident.

Luffy took another sip then a deep breath. He described the entire confrontation with the Malice of the World, the revelation about his mother and the promise he had made to make it back off. Everyone stared at him in silence, faces pale.

"Well damn!" snapped Law. "And we already have a nation bombing crisis on the Grandline."

"What do you mean?" asked Luffy, feeling his blood run cold.

"It's the reason why I'm here, Luffy," said Lance, his expression grim. He then went on to explain what he had told the crews two weeks earlier about Pluton. He explained about the plan to destroy Pluton by igniting the magazine and the risks involved if Sabo couldn't do it from the deck.

"And the news gets worse," said Lance.

"How so?" asked Robin.

"I was just talking with Haku," replied Lance, his expression growing dark. "The Marines were lying in wait on Moady. I fear Aaron, the one who warned me of Pluton's discovery, may have been caught. Akainu was expecting them. The place is a bloody warzone right now, equal in violence and destruction to Paramount War. The Revolutionary Army can't get near Pluton."

Everyone stared at Lance in horror. If Dragon and Sabo couldn't break through before the ship dove…

"Do they know where it's going yet?" asked Crocus. Lance shook his head.

"Alabasta," whispered Luffy. His dream. His two-weeklong dream was starting to make terrifying sense.

"It certainly one of the possibilities but why Alabasta?" asked Lance. The others were looking back and forth between themselves, uncertain.

"I was dreaming. In the dream, we were in Alabasta, walking down the streets, just us from before. It was before. Vivi was there… even Ace. I was seeing all the people walking around instead of being focusing on my own wants. Then I was in the palace and Vivi was there in her royal robes staring out the window toward the sea. She was older, like how we saw her in the pictures from Reverie. She had her hands clasped before her in prayer, crying as of all hope were gone. Then a light swallowed everything and when it went away only a hole and mushroom shaped smoke cloud remained. And the sea was roaring in to fill it."

Luffy rubbed his head. Recalling it had made his head hurt for some reason. The others paled and Lance clenched his fist.

"Vivi sailed with us for a time. If they learned of her involvement with pirates…" said Nami.

"Or her father was asking questions they didn't like in Reverie…" said Robin. Newspaper had mentioned King Cobra confronting the Gorosei over something, but not what.

"Or it could be the Nefetari family were the only one of the twenty kings to refuse to move to Marie Geoise and are considered traitors by the Celestial Dragons," said Lance.

"Why would you know that?" asked Law.

Lance gave a crooked smile. "Maryanne mentioned it once a long, long time ago. She never did answer how she knew. Just another thing about her we never got answers for. That's neither here nor there. We need to focus on the present. They're targeting Alabasta."

"You're so certain," said Luffy. "Why? That Malice thing poured all sorts of horrors into my head. Maybe I was just dreaming and that's all that was."

"It's the only lead we have, Luffy," said Lance, his expression stern and his tone becoming harsh. He strode forward until he was in front of the younger man and gently placed his hands on Luffy's shoulders as he looked at him. "Your mother was a collection of mysteries and secrets that were never revealed. We knew nothing about her origins or the nature of her unique abilities, only that they were not of devil fruit origin. Thus, potentially inheritable. That's what I think is going on here. Your trip to the other side and the loss of your devil fruit awoke your birthright. You say Alabasta is the target. I have no reason not to believe it. With what's happening in Moady, I'm now praying Maryanne's last 'prediction' comes true."

Luffy stared at Lance, not sure what to say to all that. He really didn't know his parents at all. Lance did. Maybe not everything, but far more than him.

"What was that prediction?"

Lance sighed and said, "That it would be you and not your father that would destroy Pluton."


	6. Resignation

Chapter 5: Resignation

April 20, 801 WG

"I can't believe I let you talk me into riding inside the whale," groused Law not for the first time since idea had been proposed.

"None of us had a choice in the matter," Luffy shot back.

Once Luffy's guess on targets had been explained to everyone, along with Lance vouching for him, they all wanted to set out immediately. Even if they were closer to Alabasta than Pluton and the Marine escort ships, they would still need to get there as quickly as possible. They needed to explain the danger heading toward the desert nation to its king. The more time they all had to plan their next course of action the better.

Laboon wasn't keen on being left behind again, especially with his friends riding straight into danger against a very deadly ship. The island whale was still reeling from the knowledge his first crew had been ambushed and killed without ever making it to the midpoint. And the Rumbar Pirates had just been heading out for adventure.

Laboon accepted he had been too little to go with them then, but that was not the case now. He would go with them this time. To fight alongside them and make sure they survived their encounter. He, via Chopper translator, had voiced all this to the crews. He had waited and this time, his wait hadn't been in vain. Now he would do what he wanted.

Everyone had argued against his coming. They stated they were going to fight a huge island-killing ship. That it was no place for an island whale. Laboon argued he should go for that very reason. They only had two puny ships to go against a huge island-killing ship. He was a giant island whale; he could grab that menace and drag it to the bottom of the ocean.

Lance didn't help the pirates in trying to talk the massive animal out of joining them. Instead, he felt Laboon was right. If they couldn't get onboard to blow up the ship, Laboon's large size might be the only thing that could crack the hull and let the ocean pour in, sinking it.

Lance was really showing his Marine background in this. All he saw in Laboon was an asset and not a friend. Not a charitable thought toward the man, Law knew, but his little brother had grown pale when the great whale had stated he was coming. And the former Marine Vice-Admiral had pointedly not looked at his godson.

_He vouched for Luffy's budding clairvoyance yet is ignoring him now, when he is displaying signs of another possible vision_, thought the Heart Pirates' Captain. _I don't think it's a coincidence he's ignoring him now. He realizes the issue, but he's focused on the goal and won't do or say anything against it._

When he had pressed his brother, and the vision he had supposedly suffered concerning Laboon, Luffy could only describe a feeling of sorrow and inevitability with the whale's decision.

_i"I don't know, if he comes something bad will happen," said Luffy, then he looked down. "But if he doesn't, something worse will."/i_

Laboon had ended any further argument by swallowing them and their ships. Law and his crew had been alarmed along with several Straw Hats. Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Sanji and Usopp had shouted in anger as if they had experienced this before. Seeing the painted walls of the whale's stomach and Crocus's island ship, once they arrived in the belly of the beast, told him this was not an uncommon maneuver for the whale.

Lance just took the crazy in stride with the comment, "Well, that settles that. Not that we could have done anything about the whale following us, anyway."

A true enough statement, Law realized with huff. Laboon arguing with them had just been a function of politeness. He didn't need their permission and any attempts to throw him off their trail would have wasted time they didn't have. And from what Law understood about Brook and Laboon's relationship, that he had been briefed on when they arrived at the lighthouse, the Rumbar pirates had tried that before they even left West Blue. Hadn't worked then when he was a little baby, it definitely wouldn't work now that he was an adult.

Franky sighed. "It's a good thing then I never removed the steel plates from that time we dealt with Mad Treasure and got swallowed by that giant lantern fish. Tra-o, your ship is made of metal, so I presume it will be all right in this acid sea."

Law turned to regard the Straw Hat shipwright. Just how many times did this crew get swallowed by giant sea creatures? Or any creature for that matter?

It was Uni that responded, as the Polar Tang's shipwright he would know. The man was forever wearing a striped mask to protect his lower face from sparks the engines of his submarine kicked up when being worked on.

"The hull itself is fine but the propellers are delicate. The acid may cause a problem if we stay here too long. There isn't anything we can do about it, though. We may have to plan on replacing parts before we engage in battle."

Law didn't like the idea of his ship being damaged. Why couldn't the damn whale just follow them?

"Did we have time to take the correct log from the lighthouse?" asked Lance. They were all standing on Crocus's floating island with their ships tied to it. The whale had started moving soon after swallowing them and it was kicking up acid waves. However, the floating island and been designed with that in mind.

"No need for that," said Nami with a self-assured grin. She held out an eternal pose. "We had this since we tricked Baroque Works. It's an eternal pose to Alabasta." She grinned for a moment then the smile turned into a frown and she glared at the fake sky above them. "The only problem with this arrangement is that we can't communicate with Laboon to let him know which way to go. If we're moving, he's moving away from the Redline. But once he loses sight of it… I don't know how island whales navigate but he certainly doesn't know where Alabasta is."

_This whale doesn't think things through_, thought Law. _No wonder he gets along with Luffy_. He felt a flash of guilt at the thought and glanced at his younger brother, who continued to stare up at the painted sky, his expression unreadable. Luffy wasn't so careless anymore.

"Hey, Robin, can you peek outside and see if he's traveling along the surface?" asked the Straw Hat Captain, displaying some of the good sense that was so foreign to his pre-death self. Further emphasizing the changes that pinged Law's conscious.

"I can do that," replied Robin. "Do you want me to bloom a clone there and tell him which direction to swim?"

"I think it might be best if we travel inside him for the time," said Luffy.

Law blinked in surprise. "Why do you say that?"

"The Marines are looking for pirates not an island whale," replied Luffy. "And Laboon can dive, they won't be able to follow."

Law grimaced, that was actually a good plan. The Hearts Pirate captain needed to accept the damage and changes he had caused and move on. As a captain of a submarine he should realize the obvious stealth advantage of their current position within the whale.

Luffy, himself, sounded resigned to Laboon's involvement. While he smiled as he spoke, it didn't reach his eyes.

_Something bad will happen if Laboon goes, but something worse will happen if he doesn't,_ recalled Law and shuddered.

Was Luffy having to choose between the lives of his friends?

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In the original draft this chapter was longer because it was originally slated to be the lead in to a different section of the story. Lance was supposed to tell the story of Luffy's parents while they were traveling within Laboon. However, just in the process of writing it, I realized it needed to be it's own entry because it was going to be a very lengthy story on its own.

That prequel will be under "Mark of the Wind" which include the sequences of "Hero of Altear", "The Silver Platter Incident", "Dance of the Moon", "A Cat's Ambition" and "Fall of the Moon". Which will cover the entire story of Luffy's parents from when they met to when they parted, this also covers their entire Marine career and why Dragon went on to form the Revolutionary Army.

Later on, the gang will make references to stories Lance told them and that was because of this sequence was originally supposed to be part of this story. Fortunately, for all of you, I realized the problem and pulled those chapters out. So that's what's going on with that.

I will do "Mark of the Wind" before "Shard of the Moon" as "Dance of the Moon", that is within "Mark of the Wind" helps to explain what winds up happening in "Shard of the Moon". It will also shed more light on what the Malice of the World was referring to in Chapter 2: Bargaining with the Dead.


	7. Arriving in Alabasta

**Chapter 6: Arriving in Alabasta**

April 30, 801 WG

Luffy turned to face the huge whale after the ships were clear of the side entrance. It was still amazing that they could sail out of the whale without going back up its throat. Law and his crew were looking over the Polar Tang as they tried to determine how much damage the stomach acid had done to its more delicate parts. They were still a ways off the coast of Alabasta still. It didn't seem wise to have Laboon swim all the way up to the island. At some point it was going to be too shallow for him and the waves he kicked up might scare the locals.

"Laboon," Luffy called. The island whale gave the small captain his full attention. "Stay out here and keep watch for that ship. We're counting on you to let us know when it gets close and to help keep it out of range of Alabasta."

Laboon practically beamed with pride at being given such an important task. He nodded his great head then submerged causing their ships to sway violently as the ocean first pushed away then rushed to fill in the space where the whale had been.

"So now what?" asked Lance. "We need to warn this princess of yours, but I can't imagine it's going to be easy to reach her."

"It may be easier than you think," said Nami with a grin. "We can sail up the main river in Alabasta, so our ships won't be visible to anyone monitoring the coast. This will also put us closer to the capital and we can walk the rest of the way."

"Why didn't we do that the first time again?" asked Usopp.

"Because we were trying to head off the rebel army that we thought were in Yuba then changed our goal when we realized we were wrong and went straight for Crocodile. We had to cross the river to reach the capital from Yuba," answered Nami.

"At least we aren't having to cross the full desert like before," said Sanji.

Law hopped onto Thousand Sunny with a grumpy look on his face. "The propellers are shot. The acid caused the metal to fuse. They need to be replaced and we can't do that at sea."

"Then we better tie a line to your ship so we can tow you to Alabasta. I'm sure they have a dry dock we can work with," said Luffy.

"If they are willing to let us use it," grumped Law.

"Don't worry! We'll have it all repaired by the time Pluton arrives," said Luffy as he patted the other man on the back in his familiar cavalier manner.

Law sighed then turned to Lance. "Any word from Dragon about the ship's position?" Luffy stiffened. It was more in Law nature to stay attuned to the more serious details of a situation. That didn't stop Luffy from feeling he should have been more on top of that. Pluton was not something he should be shrugging his way through.

"Not a word," replied Lance as he held up his Den Den Mushi. "I'm worried things might have gone badly for him after he lost the ship. The Marines probably went on the attack once Pluton was safely away."

Everyone was silent as they contemplated what that meant. The Revolutionary Army may have committed a large number of their forces to trying to stop Pluton which meant the Marines could have taken advantage of that to try to wipe them out once Pluton's safety was no longer concerned. It probably meant they were on their own and having Laboon scouting for the ship was the best chance they had of spotting it before it could harm the kingdom.

"Let's get to shore and find Vivi," said Luffy in a tone none had ever heard him use before.

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When the princess of Alabasta got wind that the Straw Hats had been spotted entering the river, she was ecstatic. She immediately grabbed her friend, Karoo, the super spot-billed duck, and raced out to meet Luffy and the others. It had been so long since they had been together. Newspaper articles were just not the same.

Her falcon guardian, Pell, flew above as she rode toward the river, to make sure no one accosted her while she rushed to meet her friends. Also, he wanted to see them too. He had never gotten a chance to thank them for helping Vivi back then.

She knew they had gotten a new ship, pictures and the newspaper had reported the larger and more capable craft, but none had reported what had become of the Going Merry. So she didn't flinch at the sight of larger craft with the head of a smiling lion on its bow that now carried the Straw Hat mark on its sail. She would have to ask about the Going Merry. She knew the ship had meant a lot to them, particularly Usopp, and she couldn't see them trading her in just to get a bigger ship.

She also had to ask about everything they had been doing, and if they were here now, did that mean Luffy had succeeded in his quest? Had they traveled the entire Grandline?

She hesitated a moment, though, when saw it wasn't the only ship pulling up to shore. She didn't recognize the other ship the Straw Hats were towing, a large metal submarine that held a six spoked smiley face instead of the skull and crossbones of other pirates. Then the crews started coming ashore from both ships and she spied a man she recognized from the newspaper.

Trafalgar Law, the captain of the Hearts Pirates and one-time ally of the Straw Hats when they were in New World. Why was he here? She thought they had ended that alliance. Isn't that what the papers had said? More questions to pepper them with once everyone was relaxing back in the palace. She trusted Luffy not to bring her someone dangerous. At least to her and her people.

Then she spied the small, spindly young man in the straw hat. His crew had grown as reported but the main gang from her time aboard the Merry was still there. Including Miss All Sundays, the woman that had been Crocodile's partner in Baroque Works. She trusted Luffy but she did want to know how Miss All Sundays had ended up on his crew. Not as a critique but out of simple curiosity. She wanted to know how all the new members had joined, too.

Luffy turned and smiled at her, raising a hand to wave, and she forgot all her questions and just threw herself at him.

"I've missed you guys so much!" she squealed as she crushed him. Luffy patted her on the back gently at first but then it took on an air of urgency as he tapped her shoulders again with a little more force. Vivi sat back and Luffy gasped his blue face recovering its natural beige and pink hue. Had she actually managed to almost suffocate him? How? He was rubber, he was immune to crushing.

"I'm glad to see you, too," he coughed, giving her another smile despite the heaving of his lungs. His hat had been knocked back and was now hanging off his neck by its string. She blinked. A single white lock of hair flopped on his forehead.

"How'd you get this, Luffy?" she asked while playfully flipping it.

Luffy looked up, a first confused before his eyes glared at the lock in annoyance. Everyone else grew silent and fidgeted. Vivi wondered if she just asked a sensitive question. Nami stepped forward and scowled at the hair while placing a hand on Luffy's head.

"Oh man, that dye doesn't work for beans. How could it have washed out already?" the Straw Hat navigator groaned.

"It doesn't seem to be noticeable when he's wearing his hat, but the dye burnt off when he got upset earlier. It probably would be best to accept this is going to be a daily ritual if you want to keep it hidden," said a man that Vivi had never seen before. He looked like a warrior out of a fantasy book with armor, cloak and the large weapon on his back.

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" snapped Nami. Vivi was a tad stunned by the protective stance her friend was taking in regard to her captain. Nami had always been annoyed with Luffy before, now she hovered over him like a fussy mother… or a wife. Hmmm…

Luffy picked himself off the ground where Vivi's enthusiastic hug had knocked him. He didn't spring up, instead, rising like several things hurt. Luffy wasn't even twenty yet so why was he moving like an old man.

"I thought that whole thing was being done for the bluff and you were no longer concerned about it," replied the man. Luffy pulled at the snow-white lock again and Vivi noticed Law shifting and looking uncomfortable, maybe even guilty.

Vivi realized her friends had even more to tell than the newspapers had let on and that they may be in the middle of something right now. Everyone was tense and the princess grew concerned. This wasn't a social call.

"What's going on?" asked Vivi. Pell landed, having allowed the princess her private reunion, and changed back to his human form. Karoo emphasized her question with a few angry quacks.

Luffy opened his mouth to answer when the man put his hand out and said instead, "The matter concerns Alabasta's safety and I think a more formal venue is in order to share what is going to be very disturbing news. I hadn't anticipated your speedy appearance."

"Why are we waiting?" said Luffy glaring at the man.

"Because we'll need more than just the princess here to know and take action and I don't want us to have to repeat this information more than necessary," said Law. "Especially since this is going to result in a lot of questions. Some of which you may not feel comfortable answering so best to do it just once."

Luffy sighed and agreed. The matter was serious, deadly serious if her friends' expressions were any judge. She trusted Luffy wasn't about to pull something on her and her kingdom. So the matter wasn't something that could be laughed off.

"Then let's head back to Alubarna now," said Vivi. "I know a route that will prevent anyone from seeing you arrive. The ships should be safe here."

"My ship is in need of repairs that require a drydock," said the captain of the Hearts Pirates. "Do you have one that I could use that won't be a burden to you?"

Vivi looked to Luffy, still unsure of this former ally. Luffy smiled at her. "It would make me really happy if you helped Law, Vivi."

The princess smiled and nodded. "Okay, I trust you, Luffy. We do have a drydock that is nearby. The calm water of the river is more ideal for ship repairs after all. But I will have to alert our people, so they don't panic when they see you. Alabasta hasn't been overly friendly toward pirates since Crocodile's plot was revealed."

"I appreciate it," said Law.

"I'll go ahead and alert your father to their arrival and that a serious matter is going to be raised," said Pell. Vivi nodded and Pell turned and took flight as a large falcon once more.

The captain of the Hearts Pirates turned and walked toward Luffy's ship. "Now that that settled… Lami! Come! We're going to be leaving the ships for a while."

To Vivi's surprise a small head topped with fawn hair peeked over the railing of the Straw Hats' ship. "Onii-chan? Where are we going?"

Onii-chan? If her big brother was the captain of the Hearts Pirates, what was she doing on Luffy's ship?

"We're going to the palace with the princess here," replied Law.

"She's a princess?" asked the little girl staring wide-eyed at Vivi in awe.

Vivi smiled back. "Yes, I am, and I am going to show you where I live. It'll be fun!"

Lami smiled back and started for the gangway. She paused at the top and looked back in confusion. "Come on, Ann, we're going to the princess's palace."

Ann?

Luffy frowned and walked over to the gangway. "What's wrong?"

Lami glanced at Luffy and said, "Ann is hiding behind the railing and doesn't want to move." Lami looked back as a door slammed then reported, "She just ran back to the girls' room."

"What the…! Why did she…!" Luffy ran his hands through his hair in apparent confusion and frustration. Vivi was confused as well. Was this Ann just that shy? And who was Ann anyway?

"We don't have time for this," muttered Zoro looking annoyed. "Luffy just go up there and drag her out."

"She's only three!" snapped Nami at the swordsman, slapping him.

"And she spent the first couple years of her life being hidden from the world," added Miss All Sundays. "We probably can't judge her ability to accept new places by how she behaved in Mendora."

"She wasn't like this at all in Mendora," muttered Luffy. Lami looked between the gathering and the door on the ship that Ann had disappeared through. Law motioned his sister to come to him and she finally ran down the gangway, hugging her brother's legs when she reached them. She was so young looking, were they really brother and sister?

"That's because she was with you, when she went ashore," said the armored man. "You're probably going to have to hold her hand if not flat out carry her until she is certain this place isn't a threat."

"Me?!" whined Luffy. "Why does it have to be me? Can't it me Nami or Robin?"

"Well, you are her uncle," the man replied. Then he grabbed Luffy and tossed him up onto the ship as if he weighed nothing. "So, go be a sanctuary of safety and strength to your darling little niece already."

Luffy's face reappeared over the railing a moment later, fury twisting it. "Damn it! Don't throw me, you know I don't bounce back from that anymore!"

The man grinned wolfishly at the young captain and said, "Your landings have improved. You didn't break your nose that time."

Before Luffy could fire back another retort. Sanji yelled up, "Stop wasting time and get Ann-chan. We need to go!"

Luffy huffed and puffed but vanished from sight as he moved toward the door where the child had disappeared. Vivi hadn't thought it possible, but somehow, she was now even more confused and looked over to Nami. The sun could have dropped from the sky to perform a tea ceremony and it would have made more sense that the little skit that had just played out now.

"Nami? What was that about?"


	8. Meeting of the Minds

**Chapter 7: Meeting of the Minds**

April 30, 801 WG

After they arrived at the palace in Alubarna, the Straw Hats and Hearts Pirates explained the situation with Pluton. Cobra, bound to his wheelchair now that illness had claimed his physical strength, paled at the news as did everyone else.

"Can you really be certain?" asked Cobra. It was an understandable reaction and Law didn't blame the man for asking. This was the worst news any king could be receiving.

"I trust Aaron to not call me after all these years just to lie to me, especially of something this grave," said Lance. "Dragon also confirmed it when he rushed to stop the ship. Unfortunately, the ship was too well guarded, and it was last seen beginning the undersea crossing from New World."

Cobra shook his head as he slumped in his chair. "I had hoped that that weapon would never see the light of day again."

"So had I, and we even moved the bloody thing, since its original location had been compromised," said Lance with a sigh.

The Alabastans started at Lance's casual statement. "_You _moved it?!"

"Yes, a government agent found it twenty years ago. We had to move it keep it from being found again right away."

"Who was part of this 'we' you are talking about?"

"I, Dragon, Maryanne and a dozen of his cousins, including Aaron. No one else."

"Dragon has cousins?" squeaked Vivi before she could contain herself. Law could understand the reaction. Dragon lived an enigma. The world learning he had a father and son, never mind who they were, had humanized him a bit. An entire extended family seemed otherworldly.

Pell gaped and spoke a heartbeat behind the princess. "Dragon, the Revolutionary Leader himself, knew where Pluton was located this whole time? Why has he ignored its presence instead of using it to attack the World Government? It would have given him overwhelming victory against his enemy."

Lance gave the man a cool look. "And it would have caused untold fatalities among the citizens and defeated his entire purpose in forging the Revolutionary Army. He wants to change the world for the better, not destroy it!"

Pell raised his hands in apology. "You seem to know the man better than I. I apologies for my assumptions."

Vivi wasn't ready to let it go. "Countless people die in his revolutions as well."

"Not as many as there could be," said Lance. "He knows he can't change a world as broken as this one without bloodshed. He already tried and he paid a steep price for his naivety."

Law thought of the story Lance had related to them on the way to Alabasta. What Dragon had had to allow to happen while he pursued his ambitions as a Marine. How many times had he had to sit on his hands while injustice occurred around him with the goal of stopping future injustices by being promoted into a position of power? Dragon must have been laboring under many regrets.

Vivi stepped back as if she had been slapped. Law had heard a bit from the Straw Hats about Vivi. She had wanted to save everyone from Crocodile's ambitions. She had risked her own life by infiltrating Baroque Works at the age of fourteen by playing the role of a bounty hunter and doing whatever dirty job or fighting whomever she was ordered to until she could gain the name of the man organizing the setup of her family.

She had been desperate to keep her people from dying but how many had died at her hands, directly or indirectly, before she could get Crocodile's name? She had worked her way up to being Number 9's partner in the organization. Lance's words must have struck at the heart of her own actions and ideals from that time.

Cobra put out his hand to steady his daughter but seemed to understand what Lance was saying. "Leaving the matter of Dragon's choices aside. The fact that Pluton is loose is terrifying enough, but how do you know we are the target?"

Lance closed his eyes. This next part was going to sound the craziest and it was the reason why Lance only wanted to explain all this once. Law bit his lip and glanced at his little brother. Luffy had settled into a Marine parade rest without realizing it, his feet shoulder's length apart and his hands clasped behind his back. His expression serious and his body stiff. It was an unnatural for the carefree young man to stand like that. And Law wondered where he had learned it.

"Luffy has recently awakened to a gift his mother possessed when she was alive," replied Lance. "He was shown a vision of Alabasta's destruction while we were rushing to Reverse Mountain to get to this side of the Redline. He was unconscious when I arrived and didn't awaken until we reached the Lighthouse at the entrance. He had no way of knowing of Pluton's discovery until he awoke, yet he saw a vision of Alabasta being blown apart by single weapon. Maryanne's visions never proved wrong, just unpredictable in their timing. So we are here to prevent the terrible future he saw."

The Alabastans turned to stare at Luffy, who refused to meet their gaze. The visions still unnerved him, and he was also still reeling from what Lance's stories had revealed about his origins.

Law was now grateful it was Lance and not any of them that was relaying the devastating news. As a former Vice-Admiral and village leader, he knew how to relate bad news matter-of-factly while remaining compassionate to the people involved. Any of them would have been possessed by a desire to lie or deflect the question.

King Cobra did them the favor of not questioning it further. Perhaps he was hoping they were right. At least then they could plan a defense against the ancient weapon. If it went somewhere else, a nation and its people would be erased without ever being able to fight back.

"You said, you re-hid the weapon twenty years ago, so you know what it looks like," said Cobra. Lance nodded. "Is there a way to stop it or was your failure to destroy it then a sign of its invincibility?"

Lance grimaced. "Back then we had not the resources to destroy it. Right now, our only hope is to ignite the ship's magazine, which is well constructed to prevent such a thing. Whoever does the deed will be risking their life. Sabo was supposed to fire blast the interior with his Flame Flame fruit, but he was prevented from boarding."

Vivi's expression became pained for a moment at the mention of the Flame Flame fruit and Law wondered if she had known Ace.

"Is there nothing else we can try?" asked Cobra with a defeated sigh.

"Well, we brought an island whale with us?" said Lance. "No one had that before."

Law finally spoke. "There is also me."

Everyone turned to regard the captain of the Hearts Pirates. Law didn't even flinch under the attention. Surgeons had to act under extreme pressure. A little staring wouldn't bother him.

"The Op Op fruit allows me to cut and manipulate anything within my sphere of influence. I don't know how big this thing is, but I may be able to cut a whole out of it that would allow it to sink right away. I did slice the mountain the laboratory on Punk Hazard was contained within when I destroyed the SAD facility."

"The only trouble is getting you close enough to do that kind of damage with those escort ships," said Lance as if he had considered it.

"It had to be easier than putting someone on the ship and you wouldn't be risking anyone getting caught in the explosion," retorted Law.

"Super-awesome idea, Tra-o!" called Franky with a pose. "Even if the ship would still be intact on the ocean floor, I don't know how anyone would salvage it, given its size and near-solid state."

"Then we'll need to work out a strategy to get you close to the ship," said Lance. "I just hope this doesn't burn through too much of your life force in the process."

"Huh?" Luffy glanced between the two in confusion while Law tried to pretend Lance hadn't said anything of concern.

Damn, how had country bumpkin known about the Op Op fruit's limitations? Law didn't want his brother fussing over that little detail, though, so he refused to respond.

In the face of thousands of lives, a few years wasn't much to offer in exchange.


	9. A Little Respite

**Chapter 8: A Little Respite**

April 30, 801 WG

The talks continued for hours more with everyone trying to grasp the full situation and how much time they might have. Pluton was slow and far too big to be towed effectively. It would probably be weeks if not months before it would reach the desert island.

However, no one wanted to underestimate the World Government when it came to finding solutions to inconvenient problems. They planned for merely having weeks.

"We should evacuate our people to different islands. We shouldn't gamble with their lives by letting them stay here with Pluton coming," said Kozu. Speaker of the people, and former leader of the rebel army, he had the best perspective on the view of the citizens of Alabasta.

Cobra nodded his head. "That would be the most practical solution, we'll need to contact our neighbors to let them know. Though, we'll have to find a way to explain the situation that won't result in them turning us away for fear of drawing the World Government's wrath. Still the best results would be to prevent the destruction so that the people could return home afterwards."

"Will it even be possible, given what we know about its build?" asked Pell. Lance had given them as much detail on the ship as he could recall. It was a depressing revelation. The weapon itself demanded a nearly invincible ship to carry it. Even with the addition of the island whale, Laboon, who outweighed the ship by a factor of three at least, they were still grim. Maybe Laboon could drag the ship under by landing on it when he leapt out of the water. Or maybe he would just skewer himself on the masts.

Everything was circling back to Law's idea. Which Luffy despised and made Law's crew anxious. Bepo had choked out the issue with Law's powers with the others agreeing and arguing against their captain taking such risk. He already depleted his life in the fight against Doflamingo and Kaido. Just how many years did Law have left to give?

Lami had pitched a fit at this point and only a promise of seeking out better strategies and calmed the girl down. She had already lost so many years with her brother, she didn't want what time they had together from now on to be shortened by one minute.

Unfortunately, no valid solutions could be found, and the moon was now beginning its descent from its zenith. Everyone was tired from the long debate and they decided to retire for the night so they could attack the problem with fresh minds in the morning. Though, they agreed evacuating the people was a good idea. It would be one thing less to worry about when the fight came.

Vivi was walking toward her room when she heard Luffy's plaintive cry. "Oh please, no, Ann. I just want to sleep!"

She came around the corner and saw Luffy standing in the door of the room he had been provided. The little black-haired girl Luffy had carried off the ship stood before him with a book in her hands and a beseeching look on her face. A toy bear that appeared similar in coloring and clothing as one of the members of the Hearts Pirates was being straggled in the crook of her arm as she held of the storybook toward the pirate captain. Luffy looked down at the girl in weary exasperation, His shoulders slumped in defeat even as he pleaded for peace. Something the little girl sweetly denied him as she raised the book even higher, looking over the top of it with her eyes while it hid her mouth.

Vivi couldn't stifle her giggle at the scene. Both Luffy and the girl turned to look at her, freezing in surprise for a moment. Then two things happened. Little Ann step behind Luffy's legs and eyed her from around his knee while still holding the book. And Luffy turned as red as his shirt. Vivi had never seen Luffy embarrassed before. She didn't think it was possible for him to be embarrassed with all the things he did but there he stood absolutely mortified that she had caught him interacting with his niece.

Which was still a shocking revelation on its own. Nami had explained to her the important changes that had come to the crew since Vivi had last seen them. Particularly changes they were going to try as hard as they could to keep out of the newspapers.

"_She's Ace's daughter?" said Vivi, incredulous._

"_Yeah, that surprised us, too, but the photo that arrived with her was pretty hard to deny. I mean, I've seen that same look on other men before. That overly goofy grin Ace had splitting his face as he held baby Ann was classic, 'Proud Papa' face. Coupled with his holding her for the camera to see, it screamed, 'Look what I made! Ain't she gorgeous?' No way am I going to question such a claim. Considering Ace's issues, if he's claiming that baby as his, then it is his."_

_Vivi thought about it a moment then said, "If you are looking for a safe place for her to grow up, then I can think of few places that won't question her parentage around here in Alabasta."_

_Nami smiled but shook her head. "Because of what happened to her mother, Ann seems to have a hard time warming up to people and once she does, she gets possessive. We already found a place that would have taken her, but she did not want to be left behind. I mean just running out to deal with Law and Cypher Pol upset her. She has huge abandonment issues and even if we made sure to visit as often as possible, it wouldn't be the same. She velcroid herself to Law just in the two weeks she was aboard his ship while he searched for us. And if her mom hadn't been constantly talking about going to Luffy, I don't think she would have allowed herself to leave Law. Law complained that she cried for a week straight after her mother dumped her in his arms and ran off. So, we can't give her up, I don't think her heart could take it."_

Vivi knew several members of the Straw Hat Pirates were responsible enough to not worry about Ann's daily care. But Luffy was the captain and he had a habit of wandering into trouble and dragging everyone else with him. While the crew could all defend themselves, it was alarming that they would have a vulnerable child on their ship.

Whatever Ann's issues, it would be far better for her to find a peaceful village to grow up in. The very situation they were in now was not good for her or Lami. Why did Law have his sister with him, anyway? She seemed old enough to be reasonable. Or had they been in the middle of a relaxing vacation somewhere when they found out about Pluton and there had been no time to drop the vulnerable members off at a safe location? That sounded more likely.

The other thing that had concerned her was the second revelation. Luffy's devil fruit was gone, that's why he hadn't responded well when she had hugged him.

"_What?! How did he lose his devil fruit?" gasped Vivi as the girls rode ahead of the others._

_Nami shifted in her seat and glanced down before answering. "There was an incident. Luffy… got close enough to death that he lost his fruit. It also had some other effects on him, mentally as well as physically. He lost a lot of his strength and he isn't quite the same happy-go-lucky captain we all know and love to be irritated by. He's having to relearn how to fight because of it."_

"_Seriously? It's that bad?"_

"_Let's just say if he had to do the battle with Crocodile all over again. He would lose and very quickly. He just wouldn't have the stamina to keep going after being beaten and stabbed like that."_

_Vivi could only gasp. Luffy had still been at the beginning of his journey when he faced Crocodile. It was really the first time he had a chance to prove to his crew and the world that he had the potential to rise above the rest. If he couldn't win against one of his early opponents, then Luffy was in serious trouble._

"_That's why we're dying his hair. The white lock makes it obvious something happened. We don't want people to notice and come after him."_

"_But he's acquired scars before and…" Nami's shaking head stopped her._

"_Luffy either went into hiding right after being injured or showed he was still strong right away. But we can't afford a challenger right now and right now Luffy's still riding the 'I dropped Kaido on his ass', 'I outmaneuvered Big Mom on her turf!' reputation. We don't want people even speculating he got hurt in an unpublished encounter and he might be vulnerable, because he is. _

"_Honestly, we should have gone to ground right after the incident. Another hiatus so he could get himself back up to speed. But Law's situation turned out to be urgent and Luffy was able to cover his weakness. Anyone who got suspicious didn't escape. Which was more dumb luck than anything else but the raid on Vegapunk's island managed to keep the impression that Luffy is still at the top of his game. And we want to maintain that impression. Now we have this new issue and we have to win. For your sake and for the world's sake."_

"_And Luffy can't fight," said Vivi realizing how dire their situation was._

_Nami nodded. "Lance is supposed to be an ex-vice-admiral of the Marines, but I don't know how good he is. He was telling us a few stories, but he was mostly focused on Luffy's parents because Luffy was complaining he didn't know anything about them, and Lance kept referencing them."_

"_Lance?"_

"_The big warrior guy in armor."_

"_He's an ex-Marine and he knew Luffy's parents?"_

"_Shocking, huh?" Nami grinned. "When Luffy was having his mental crisis, he called Dragon and told him to get his ass over there and Dragon got his ass over there. It's funny now that I think about it."_

_Dragon, the great leader of the Revolutionary Army, the world's most dangerous criminal, had come when called. She glanced back at the man, who was talking and laughing with a glowering Luffy walking next to him. Little Ann was riding his shoulders and wearing his hat. Because Law's sister had decided to ride her brother's shoulders and wear his hat and he didn't care. In fact, his expression, when she had climbed onto him, had been the 'I dare you to say anything' type. So of course, nobody did._

"_I can't believe he had that much clout with the man," said Vivi._

"_More like, they have mutual respect and trust for one another and neither one abuses it. So when one calls on the other, they know it's serious."_

_That made sense. Still, it was hard to believe that a friend of Dragon's was walking behind her. Then again, the son of Dragon was walking behind her and she was friends with him. Then Vivi recalled what else Nami had said about Lance._

"_He knew both of Luffy's parents? Like his mother? What was she like?"_

_Nami gave an unladylike snort and said, "She was freaking crazy. Lance described Luffy as being calm and rational compared to her."_

"_He doesn't know Luffy at all."_

"_After the stories he told, I'm inclined to agree with his assessment."_

"_No!"_

"_Yep." Nami then leaned over and whispered, "Luffy does want to ask his father, next time he sees him, just how many blood transfusions he required after the 'Devil's Little Girl' incident." Vivi gave her a questioning look. Nami chuckled and replied to her unspoken question, "Lance told a humorous story, where Luffy's mother, Maryanne, came up with a scheme to capture pirates that involved her strip dancing while singing 'I'm the Devil Little Girl' and the guys would walk around behind the pirate, knock them out, drag them from the tavern and arrest them outside. Very, very, successful tactic but Dragon couldn't participate because he apparently was suffering from a sudden onset of acute anemia due to severe blood loss." She mimed blood shooting out her nose._

_Vivi clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from belting out an improper laugh. It took a few minutes to recover while Nami just grinned at her. Finally she said, "I don't think Dragon will appreciate that."_

"_Especially if Luffy gets the chance to ask in front of all the army. Lance is already anticipating having to go into hiding because of it."_

"_That's just evil," wheezed Vivi_.

Vivi shook her head as she returned her focus to the present. "What's going on here?" she asked in the lightest tone and with a gentle smile. Mostly so Luffy would have a lead on what to say since he seemed too embarrassed to speak to her.

Luffy glanced down at his niece then back at Vivi, still at a loss for words. Was he really that bothered by being caught having a family moment with his brother's daughter? Possibly. Luffy probably had zero experience with the types of moments and didn't know how to act. Or he was just conscientious of his status as a two billion beri pirate. And two billion beri pirates did not have family moments, at least not where anyone could see.

Probably the former. The day Luffy cared about his status as a whatever-beri pirate was the day the world stop spinning. Sure, he'd gloat about it, but he wouldn't change his behavior because of it.

"I didn't think it was possible for you get tongue-tied, Luffy," she teased.

Luffy didn't retort, which would have been out of character for him, instead he ran his hands through his hair in frustration as he tried to sort out how to respond to her. Ann just stayed partially concealed behind book and knee.

Vivi decided to give him a break, she swore she could hear the sound of rusty gears trying to turn. Luffy was not a smart man, anything that wasn't said straight and bluntly generally went flying over his head. Except it now seemed it was beginning to notice the fly overs.

"I see your little niece wants someone to read her a bedtime story," said Vivi as she leaned forward to smile at Ann, who moved to hide further around her uncle's leg. "If you're tired maybe I," she glanced down at the mostly hidden child and added, "or one of the others can do it."

Luffy sighed his shoulders slumping. "She wants me to do it. For whatever reason she stopped accepting Robin as her reader and insisted on me. I can't get out of it. If I try, she gets upset and the others say I'm being terrible. I mean, I can barely read, and Robin acts out the lines. You would think she would want Robin but nooooo, she wants me."

Vivi grimaced at the mention of her former nemesis, Miss All Sundays, covering the expression and the feeling before Luffy could notice. From what she had learned from the others, Crocodile's former second-in-command had been a valuable asset to the Straw Hats ever since they departed Alabasta two years ago. She really needed to move on and accept Nico Robin. Or at least treat her no differently from the other crew members who had joined after she and Luffy had parted ways.

"That's so sweet, though," said Vivi as she looked at the exasperated Luffy. "She likes you this much already."

"More like I'm her security blanket," muttered Luffy, but bent down and scooped the child up who wiggled happily in his arms.

_Picking her up must be what he does when he concedes_, thought Vivi.

Luffy looked at the book and started trying to read the title. "Sindy- Cinder- Sinda-ray- ree- rel- la?"

Vivi refused to laugh. That would have been mean to her friend and former captain who was here to save her nation once again. Instead she peeked over his shoulder and confirmed the word he was struggling to pronounce. He had gotten pretty close.

"It's 'Cinderella'," she said. "Cinder Ella."

Luffy gave her the most pathetic look she had ever seen anyone make. Vivi smiled at him in reassurance. If the tiny dictator in his arms insisted, she read to him, then he would just have to get better at it.

_Besides_, she thought in amusement, _she doesn't want to be read to, she wants to snuggle up against him while looking at the pretty pictures while she heads off to dreamland. He really is her security blanket._

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This and the previous two had been one huge chapter originally until I looked at the word count and realized the chapter was nearly 7000 words.

Fortunately, I had some natural break points so just used those to break up the chapter. (I try to keep chapter entries below 3000 since it's not like you can bookmark mid-chapter if it's taking too long to read and something comes up.)


	10. A Dirty Move

Chapter 5: Resignation

April 20, 801 WG

"I can't believe I let you talk me into riding inside the whale," groused Law not for the first time since idea had been proposed.

"None of us had a choice in the matter," Luffy shot back.

Once Luffy's guess on targets had been explained to everyone, along with Lance vouching for him, they all wanted to set out immediately. Even if they were closer to Alabasta than Pluton and the Marine escort ships, they would still need to get there as quickly as possible. They needed to explain the danger heading toward the desert nation to its king. The more time they all had to plan their next course of action the better.

Laboon wasn't keen on being left behind again, especially with his friends riding straight into danger against a very deadly ship. The island whale was still reeling from the knowledge his first crew had been ambushed and killed without ever making it to the midpoint. And the Rumbar Pirates had just been heading out for adventure.

Laboon accepted he had been too little to go with them then, but that was not the case now. He would go with them this time. To fight alongside them and make sure they survived their encounter. He, via Chopper translator, had voiced all this to the crews. He had waited and this time, his wait hadn't been in vain. Now he would do what he wanted.

Everyone had argued against his coming. They stated they were going to fight a huge island-killing ship. That it was no place for an island whale. Laboon argued he should go for that very reason. They only had two puny ships to go against a huge island-killing ship. He was a giant island whale; he could grab that menace and drag it to the bottom of the ocean.

Lance didn't help the pirates in trying to talk the massive animal out of joining them. Instead, he felt Laboon was right. If they couldn't get onboard to blow up the ship, Laboon's large size might be the only thing that could crack the hull and let the ocean pour in, sinking it.

Lance was really showing his Marine background in this. All he saw in Laboon was an asset and not a friend. Not a charitable thought toward the man, Law knew, but his little brother had grown pale when the great whale had stated he was coming. And the former Marine Vice-Admiral had pointedly not looked at his godson.

_He vouched for Luffy's budding clairvoyance yet is ignoring him now, when he is displaying signs of another possible vision_, thought the Heart Pirates' Captain. _I don't think it's a coincidence he's ignoring him now. He realizes the issue, but he's focused on the goal and won't do or say anything against it._

When he had pressed his brother, and the vision he had supposedly suffered concerning Laboon, Luffy could only describe a feeling of sorrow and inevitability with the whale's decision.

_i"I don't know, if he comes something bad will happen," said Luffy, then he looked down. "But if he doesn't, something worse will."/i_

Laboon had ended any further argument by swallowing them and their ships. Law and his crew had been alarmed along with several Straw Hats. Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Sanji and Usopp had shouted in anger as if they had experienced this before. Seeing the painted walls of the whale's stomach and Crocus's island ship, once they arrived in the belly of the beast, told him this was not an uncommon maneuver for the whale.

Lance just took the crazy in stride with the comment, "Well, that settles that. Not that we could have done anything about the whale following us, anyway."

A true enough statement, Law realized with huff. Laboon arguing with them had just been a function of politeness. He didn't need their permission and any attempts to throw him off their trail would have wasted time they didn't have. And from what Law understood about Brook and Laboon's relationship, that he had been briefed on when they arrived at the lighthouse, the Rumbar pirates had tried that before they even left West Blue. Hadn't worked then when he was a little baby, it definitely wouldn't work now that he was an adult.

Franky sighed. "It's a good thing then I never removed the steel plates from that time we dealt with Mad Treasure and got swallowed by that giant lantern fish. Tra-o, your ship is made of metal, so I presume it will be all right in this acid sea."

Law turned to regard the Straw Hat shipwright. Just how many times did this crew get swallowed by giant sea creatures? Or any creature for that matter?

It was Uni that responded, as the Polar Tang's shipwright he would know. The man was forever wearing a striped mask to protect his lower face from sparks the engines of his submarine kicked up when being worked on.

"The hull itself is fine but the propellers are delicate. The acid may cause a problem if we stay here too long. There isn't anything we can do about it, though. We may have to plan on replacing parts before we engage in battle."

Law didn't like the idea of his ship being damaged. Why couldn't the damn whale just follow them?

"Did we have time to take the correct log from the lighthouse?" asked Lance. They were all standing on Crocus's floating island with their ships tied to it. The whale had started moving soon after swallowing them and it was kicking up acid waves. However, the floating island and been designed with that in mind.

"No need for that," said Nami with a self-assured grin. She held out an eternal pose. "We had this since we tricked Baroque Works. It's an eternal pose to Alabasta." She grinned for a moment then the smile turned into a frown and she glared at the fake sky above them. "The only problem with this arrangement is that we can't communicate with Laboon to let him know which way to go. If we're moving, he's moving away from the Redline. But once he loses sight of it… I don't know how island whales navigate but he certainly doesn't know where Alabasta is."

_This whale doesn't think things through_, thought Law. _No wonder he gets along with Luffy_. He felt a flash of guilt at the thought and glanced at his younger brother, who continued to stare up at the painted sky, his expression unreadable. Luffy wasn't so careless anymore.

"Hey, Robin, can you peek outside and see if he's traveling along the surface?" asked the Straw Hat Captain, displaying some of the good sense that was so foreign to his pre-death self. Further emphasizing the changes that pinged Law's conscious.

"I can do that," replied Robin. "Do you want me to bloom a clone there and tell him which direction to swim?"

"I think it might be best if we travel inside him for the time," said Luffy.

Law blinked in surprise. "Why do you say that?"

"The Marines are looking for pirates not an island whale," replied Luffy. "And Laboon can dive, they won't be able to follow."

Law grimaced, that was actually a good plan. The Hearts Pirate captain needed to accept the damage and changes he had caused and move on. As a captain of a submarine he should realize the obvious stealth advantage of their current position within the whale.

Luffy, himself, sounded resigned to Laboon's involvement. While he smiled as he spoke, it didn't reach his eyes.

_Something bad will happen if Laboon goes, but something worse will happen if he doesn't,_ recalled Law and shuddered.

Was Luffy having to choose between the lives of his friends?

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In the original draft this chapter was longer because it was originally slated to be the lead in to a different section of the story. Lance was supposed to tell the story of Luffy's parents while they were traveling within Laboon. However, just in the process of writing it, I realized it needed to be it's own entry because it was going to be a very lengthy story on its own.

That prequel will be under "Mark of the Wind" which include the sequences of "Hero of Altear", "The Silver Platter Incident", "Dance of the Moon", "A Cat's Ambition" and "Fall of the Moon". Which will cover the entire story of Luffy's parents from when they met to when they parted, this also covers their entire Marine career and why Dragon went on to form the Revolutionary Army.

Later on, the gang will make references to stories Lance told them and that was because of this sequence was originally supposed to be part of this story. Fortunately, for all of you, I realized the problem and pulled those chapters out. So that's what's going on with that.

I will do "Mark of the Wind" before "Shard of the Moon" as "Dance of the Moon", that is within "Mark of the Wind" helps to explain what winds up happening in "Shard of the Moon". It will also shed more light on what the Malice of the World was referring to in Chapter 2: Bargaining with the Dead.


	11. Betting on Straw

**Chapter 10: Betting on Straw**

May3, 801 WG

Lance stood to the side of the throne room where King Cobra and Princess Vivi were planning to receive the commanding officer. The royals had sent out a missive to the blockade asking to speak with the officer in person, so they wouldn't induce a panic shouting across the water. The reply had been promising in the sense that the Marines would come to Aluburna to talk.

Lance was there to observe the proceedings and intervene if things got out of control. Not that he didn't have confidence in Alabasta's guardians but this close to Reverse Mountain's west side saw a gentler, tamer Grandline. The Marines that were blocking them might have been summoned from further down where things got more concentrated and dangerous.

With Alabasta marked for death, if the Marines guarding them were aware, they might just attack the royals. Either they would remove them and make an example of them to warn other kings or because the Nefetari were one of the founding members and it didn't sit right with the World Leaders to kill one of their own. He highly doubted the later would ever be the reason.

It also appeased his godson's growing anxiety. Luffy wanted to be nearby, even though there was no rational reason for him to be, and it would, more than likely, put Vivi and Alabasta in greater jeopardy. Lance suspected the sudden paranoia was a byproduct of events in recent months. The arrival of his niece, Pudding's ambush, the blackmailing of Law, his own death, the loss of his devil fruit and physical strength, the awakening of his maternal inheritance, and dealing with the Malice of the World that was threatening to possess his friends and burn the world to the ground… It was a lot for a mere nineteen-year-old to have happen to him effectively at once.

Now he was facing another crisis and he was in no condition to just punch his way through it like before. And the consequences for failure would extend far and beyond Alabasta. He had a lot of friends all over the world and they would all be affected if he failed. And the Malice of the World cutting loose was just one possible threat.

Not that Luffy was aware of other threats. Lance hadn't bothered to spell it out because knowing didn't change what they needed to do and would only add to his godson's anxiety. There was simply no need to know at this stage.

While Luffy had fought in previous future-of-the-nation-dependent battles with towering odds, none had the odds so greatly stacked against him as this one. He was as close to helpless as a person could be without being bedridden, and he would have to depend on everyone else around him to resolve the issue. As someone who took his responsibility as captain more seriously than most people credited him with, having to face the reality that he would just be there to wave the flag while his friends risked their lives to do what he couldn't was eating him alive. He always put himself in the most dangerous position to shield his crew, some of whom couldn't survive those same fights if they had to face the same opponents as him.

That was how Lance knew he was taking his responsibilities seriously. Luffy knew he wasn't the smartest. He knew he couldn't navigate. He knew he was a lousy sailor. He knew he didn't have the self-discipline or the attention to detail that could mean the difference between life and death at sea. That was why captains had crews, in his mind, to fill in for their weaknesses. His job was to protect them so they could do theirs. He made mistakes, screwing around when things were supposed to be serious, but managed to charm the most surprising people into being allies or friends.

That was his gift, his strength that no one else on the crew had. It was a rare gift and not one that could be dismissed by anyone that understood how pirate fleets assembled themselves. Pirates were incredibly independent and notorious backstabbers, being able to inspire loyalty in such a group would make that person the most dangerous man in the world. White Beard had held that mantel once. For all Roger's fame, he couldn't inspire that kind of loyalty outside his own crew. White Beard had.

In a sense, Luffy was maturing. His happy-go-lucky, child-like ways were coming to an end. Peter Pan had lost his happiness, his ability to fly and was now banished from Neverland. That happiness could be recovered but it would come from a different source. The games were over, time to grow up, and growing up was painful. Lance hoped he would be around to guide Luffy through what was going to be a very rocky road. Well, they had to get through this crisis first. He pushed thoughts of the future aside as he focused on the present.

Lance felt secure in being exposed, despite being a stranger. He was unknown to the general Marine population having deserted nearly two decades earlier. Many of those that had known him personally had left at the same time, retired, or were too high ranked to be involved in this type of operation. No one else would recognize him.

At least that was his gamble.

In walked the commanding officer in charge of the blockade. He was a middle-aged man wearing a purple kimono under his white Marine jacket and blind. He let a staff feel the ground before him but navigated well even without his sight. Lance bit the inside of his cheek. He matched Luffy's description of Admiral Fugitora. Good news, that meant they might be able to reason with the man. Bad news, if he was the one guarding the mouth of the river, Thousand Sunny would not be able to escape even with her coo-du-burst ability since Fugitora had control over gravity and could pull a flying ship from the sky as easily as he did meteors from the heavens.

King Cobra nodded to the man and said, "Greetings Admiral Fugitora. I hope things have been going well for you since we last spoke at Reverie."

Lance perked his ears at that. So the two had met.

"It would have gone better if we had been able to convince the other nations the Seven Warlords were no longer needed," replied the blind Admiral.

Cobra's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Too much turmoil on the sea for them to let go of that troublesome asset, though, they are going to be more careful to whom they offer it from now on. They lost Jinbei because he refused to fight the man protecting his home island when otherwise he had been a dutiful soldier, then revoked Trafalgar even though he did them the service of taking down Doflamingo, something they couldn't do on their own. Crocodile and Doflamingo embarrassed them with their schemes against nations and Black Beard just used them for his own ambitions. Rather pathetic really."

Cobra then sighed. "That being said, here you are preventing my people from leaving Alabasta. Do you know why you have such an order?"

"Immigration of people on such a mass scale needs to be approved of in advance. That's how it has always been," said Fugitora.

Cobra huffed. "My nation is facing the wrath of Pluton and you don't think it would be wise to move the people away in case the worst should happen?"

Fugitora and his escorting Marines looked shocked and the subordinates glanced at each other in confusion. _So, they had not gotten the full story_, thought Lance. _Now what will they do?_

Cobra didn't wait for a response. "That thing was in Moady a few weeks ago. From what I heard, Dragon and his Revolutionaries fought to stop it but failed. It's made the crossing through the undersea passage and is now on this side of the Redline. It was suspected we were the target, your sudden appearance, preventing us from evacuating our people as a precaution, confirms it. Are you really going to be fine with all these people being killed? Whatever animosity I provoked at Reverie from the Gorosei with my questions should be on my head. My people are innocent and should not have to die because of my overstep."

Fugitora clutched his staff tight, his teeth grinding. Lance could only guess at what thoughts the Admiral was suffering under in that moment. No, he could do more than guess. He recognized that expression. He had seen it too many times before when he had been in the Marines. Not always in a mirror.

"How can you be so sure that a weapon of the Void Century is now back and heading here? And for you to think it's the World Government that is controlling it?" asked Fugitora. It didn't sound like an accusation, just someone who was hearing something that he didn't want to believe was true.

_This seems to be the proper place for me step in_, thought Lance as moved away from the wall. "That would be because of me."

Fugitora turned to face him, probably as a courtesy since he didn't need to look at someone to hear them. Lance felt the brush of haki against him like the kiss of a light breeze. Most people never noticed it, but he never could not notice it, once he learned what it was.

"It's been a number of years since I served the Marines, but I still have a few friends there who tell me things. Particularly, when their orders are running contradictory to their conscience. I imagine there are not that many Marines who aren't bothered by the wanton murder of helpless civilians. They just don't have the power to naysay their superiors."

Lance could leave it at that. It wouldn't identify anyone, nor would it reveal how they had found out about the target. There would be no way to determine who had contacted Lance about the plan. Maybe they wouldn't even bothering trying that hard to find out.

Fujitora's expression grew grave. "Why would they do such a thing?" he hissed.

Lance's expression softened. Yes, he recognized that expression, that frustration… that disappointment. Dragon had been equally frustrated when Ohara had burned. Fighting with his resolve to stay the course until he was in a position to prevent such tragedies in the future or save Ohara and possibly damn unknown other nations when his actions earned him a criminal's bounty or execution. Dragon had found a way around such future dilemmas, but the regret from not realizing it sooner would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Fugitora was there now, caught between his idealism and the reality he had to survive in order to make his idealistic changes to the world. Lance wanted to tell him Dragon's answer, convince him to act now, but there would be no way to convince him with words. It was a realization that required self-reflection. Any outside argument would only result in stonewalling.

"Now that you understand our plight," said Vivi. "Can you help us? You don't seem to agree with this action."

Fugitora face revealed his inner turmoil and there were several heartbeats where, if Lance were younger and not so jaded by experience, he would have dared hope that Fujitora would agree with the princess. Sadly, Fujitora did not betray Lance's pessimistic expectations.

The Admiral shook his head and said, "My orders are to prevent the people from Alabasta from emigrating. I fear if I don't follow through, they will turn on any nation that takes you in."

Vivi deflated and her father leaned forward and covered his face. Neither had dared to consider the very worst-case scenario, that the ship would simply change targets.

"Can you help us?" cried Vivi, desperation setting in.

Fujitora shook his head, he had already accepted there was nothing he could do except minimize the damage to surrounding kingdoms by following orders and letting Alabasta die.

Lance, however, had a different request.

"You seem like a man with strong ideals and a mind to change the course of the Marines, to ensure this doesn't happen again in the future. Your attempt to end the Seven Warlords was one such change that didn't go well."

Fugitora recovered his composure. "You seem familiar with this subject. Were you once such a man?"

Lance hesitated as he considered what he could and couldn't say to Fujitora. He could tell him the whole truth, but idealism didn't die easily. Dragon had paid a terrible price before he had changed course. If the Admiral was lucky it would never get that bad for him personally, so it would be an apple and orange comparison in his mind.

"No, not me. But there was once an admiral that strove to achieve enough power within the Marines to effect change that would never allow something like this to happen."

"What became of him?" Fujitora's tone revealed that the admiral realized it must not have ended well. Still he asked. What else could anyone do when presented with this example?

Lance looked away then replied, "The Gorosei sabotaged his efforts, driving him away, and destroyed all evidence of his existence within the Marines so he could never influence them again." It was the truth and would also serve as a warning to Fujitora to be careful. It also would prevent him from aiding Alabasta now. Not that Lance believed there would be anyway to convince the man anymore. He didn't want to destroy the order of the world, just change it.

"I understand your position in this debacle, Admiral," continued Lance before Fujitora could say anything. "Perhaps then we can compromise. I ask you follow merely the letter of the order. You came here in ignorance of Pluton and have no idea of its fate. Your orders were to keep 'the people of Alabasta' from leaving. Then do so. Keep the people of Alabasta from leaving. Focus on that one solitary task and do nothing else.

"However, you are to keep _only_ the people of Alabasta from leaving. Nothing was said of non-Alabastans setting sail. So, don't hinder any non-Alabastans' ability to leave. No matter who they are or what they intend, so long as they take no action against you and your command, you let them go unchallenged. And no matter what may be happening off the coast, you hold your position because, if you get distracted by any activity beyond Alabasta's waters, the people of Alabasta may escape the island. So you stay put and don't intervene. Is that acceptable, Admiral?"

Fujitora seemed to stare at him with his sightless eyes while his men fidgeted. Lance knew Fujitora wasn't stupid. He knew he had just told the admiral enough for the man to get a general idea of what Lance was hiding. He snorted.

"So once again, I am betting on straw."

Lance was also not stupid, and he knew immediately what Fujitora meant. He grinned and said, "A rather safe bet, I think. There was once a vice-admiral who had the ability to predict the future but never in a predictable fashion. I don't know if she was fooling around or if she was dead serious when she made her bold declaration without explanation, but she too bet on straw back then. Now let's hope the future she alluded to hasn't been altered from what she gleaned."

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We start to really see Lance's keen insight here as well as get a little more history.


	12. A Gentle Hand

**Chapter 11: A Gentle Hand…**

May 14, 801 WG

They stood at the palace entrance ready to head to their respective ships. Luffy bent down to give his little niece a hug. She was not happy with being left behind again and Luffy didn't like it either. However, his ship was heading into battle. The danger to her would greater if she remained on the ship than if she remained on the island. If only by a small amount. He understood that if he failed, Alabasta and his brother's child would be lost.

Law was suffering the same dilemma. His sister would stay with Ann as the Polar Tang, like Thousand Sunny would become a target. Neither could afford to be worrying about what was on their ship. Having all their worries focused on Alabasta meant they could take extreme action to stop Pluton without concern for their ships.

All it meant was what they already knew, they had to win no matter what. Vivi put her arms around the girls as the crews gathered. They would head in two different directions when they went for their ships. Dragon had finally contacted Lance the night before. A subordinate had finally spied the island killer after it surfaced and had been monitoring its progress while keeping the Revolutionary Leader briefed.

"_Lance, where are you?" asked the man on the other end of the line. He sounded worn out and desperate, not the confident and calm man that Dragon was known to be. Luffy wondered if his father had been injured or if the death toll in the Revolutionary Army was high. Was Sabo all right?_

"_Alabasta," replied Lance. "Where's Pluton?"_

"_Alabasta? How did you realize…?" started Dragon, sounding flustered._

"_We acted on a hunch. How close is it? The Marine blockaded the island. No one can get off or on."_

"_Crow found it and monitored its path. We just realized the target from its heading. It's a day out from Alabasta at its current speed."_

_Lance growled and said, "It hasn't gained any speed we weren't aware of, has it. That's way too soon for that thing to be this close."_

"_They put some sort of outer engines on it. She's able to keep pace with her escort."_

_Luffy and few others cursed. Pluton's large size was its greatest weakness. If the World Government had added engines to the thing, their combat window would shrink considerably. Then there was the fact it wouldn't be as easy for Laboon to overpower the great vessel._

_Lance turned toward the two pirate captains. "Are the ships ready?"_

_Luffy and Law hadn't been sitting idle. Fearing the World Government would pull a similar maneuver, they had already prepped their ship for the coming battle. They were simply on stand-by now._

"_Super fully repaired, reinforced and stocked up," called out Franky, striking a pose._

"_Then we need to go, now," said Lance. "Every minute not fighting is a minute against are chances of saving Alabasta."_

Luffy, Law, Lance and the crews mounted the Super Spot-Billed Ducks and took off for their destinations. Law would launch from the shipyard near the mouth of the river, diving as soon as they reached deep enough water. Alabasta's army was already prepping the covering smoke screen and evacuating the people from the shoreline. Luffy and Lance would race back down the river and take flight when Franky judged was the right time to clear the blockade. Just because Fugitora was agreeable to Lance's suggestion, didn't mean they wouldn't put on a show at least.

At the shipyard, Law ordered his crew to make ready as a force of habit than because they needed the order. He signaled Pell who gave his own order for the cannons to launch the smoke bombs as others flooded the dock area then opened the gates.

_Even if we can't reach the inside, I can use the Op Op fruit to cut the ship in half. Objects can't defend against by surgical strikes. The only problem is I have to be on the surface outside my ship to strike without cutting my own ship in half. Though, I will strike through my ship if I have to, but I can't cut through ocean water,_ thought Law as tightened his grip on his new sword. It had been among the various items on Raftel when they were there. Since he had abandoned his old one on Varian, he decided to take it and make it his own.

Everyone had discussed strategy during the week prior. The internal explosion while having the highest chance of success was also ruled the most dangerous. The chances of getting on the boat were low. The chances of getting to the magazine were lower. The chances of getting back up to the deck before exploding were lowest. Without Sabo's Flame Flame fruit, it just wasn't feasible. So they declared the original strategy an absolute last resort.

Law's strategy of getting close enough to the ship to use his Op Op fruit carried the least risk and greatest chance of success. Coupled with Laboon dragging the pieces to the murky depths and Pluton would be done. There wasn't a salvage ship in existence that could recover something that big but Laboon could always scatter the pieces across the ocean floor or even in trenches just to be safe. It was considered the best strategy with the highest success chances. Law had cut a mountain in two on Punk Hazard after all.

However, to get Law close enough and to give him the clearance needed to strike they would have to fight the escorting fleet. For that reason, both ships were fully stocked with ammo. Thousand Sunny's air cannon meant lots of cola barrels. Polar Tang had been outfitted with as many torpedoes as the desert kingdom could construct. Neither knew how much fire power would be needed to hold off or, better yet, take down the escort ships so Law could have the time to strike.

Polar Tang rolled forward into the smoke as cannon fire started up from the Marine ships. However, the smoke did its job, obscuring the view of the attackers. Nothing came close to Law's ship before she reached deep water and sank beneath the waves.

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Fugitora knew, as an admiral, he really shouldn't let any ship leave the island as his directive was to prevent people from leaving. Even if that ex-Marine had pointed out the loophole he could exploit, he really couldn't let anyone leave without at least attempting to stop them. Though he wondered if Sakazuki would buy his excuses if he didn't. No, he had to attempt to stop whoever would emerge from the island. He just wasn't going to pursue them.

So he sat on his ship waiting for something to happen for the past week. When nothing did, he began to wonder if the ex-Marine had been as honest about the danger as he had come across to him. Then the men on his ship started shouting as explosions were heard coming from the shore. Those who were nearer to the affected area began shooting cannons in retaliation but there didn't seem to be any hits to his ships from what he could hear.

The explosions stopped and the Marines expressed confusion over the whole thing, complaining of smoke and no fire. Fugitora stood up. Blind as he was, he thought he detected movement beneath the ships. A submarine perhaps? A submarine whose departure had been covered by apparent smoke bombs. Before he could react to the escaping submarine, a new set of shouts erupted from the other side. This time the reason was much clearer as there were no smoke bombs to cover this one's escape.

"It's Mugiwara! Mugiwara is coming from the river!"

_Smoke wouldn't have helped him_, thought Fujitora as he gripped his sword. _He's going to have his ship leap the blockade. Reports said it could fly_.

His ship was positioned in the river, where he expected trouble to be hiding. He did not like the idea of a massive weapon destroying the entire island of Alabasta, but he also had a hard time accepting such a weapon could exist. A weapon eight hundred years old that was more damning than anything modern science had crafted to date. It was hard to believe, especially given the World Government loved to create such lethal items.

However, if it did… Should he really be following orders? Should he be allowing this tragedy to take place?

The Straw Hat ship exploded into the air, judging by his men's cries, the boom of the device, and his own observational haki tracking the ship.

Without thinking, he went to draw his sword and activate his gravity ability. He was in the right spot to catch the ship as it sailed overhead. He could stop and capture the Straw Hat Pirates right then and there as the Fleet Admiral had been demanding of him since he let him do in Dressrosa months ago.

For a second a blinding radiance filled his sightless eyes, banishing the dark, and the sensation of delicate fingers and a small palm resting on his sword hand came to him.

"_Now let's not do anything stupid_," a voice, a soft alto, whispered in his ear.

Then darkness returned leaving the after image of a small pale hand holding his sword and dark hair on the edge of his vision.

_What was that_? he wondered in alarm. Then he realized it had lasted just long enough to prevent him from catching the pirate ship as it flew overhead. _I guess, I missed_, he thought, smirking.

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Luffy let out the breath he had been holding. He had spied Fujitora as they passed over his ship. The man had been poised to use his gravity power on them but held back at the last minute, letting them pass. It looked like they would experience no further trouble from there. Now all was left was to rendezvous with Laboon and Law before heading out to meet Pluton.


	13. Battle of Pluton I

**Chapter 12: Battle of Pluton I**

May 14, 801 WG

Once clear of the coast, and out of sight of Fujitora's blockading Marines, the Polar Tang resurfaced. Laboon surfaced nearby, having spotted the submarine, but Thousand Sunny wasn't there yet. Not a surprise. Law's submarine was faster under the water than any ship on the surface. Also, he had had a much easier time passing the blockade. Luffy and his crew would have to run gauntlet of the Marine battleships and hope Fujitora wouldn't drag them out of the sky if they tried to fly over it.

Still Law could barely keep from kneading his new sword's sheath in worry as he leaned against the wall on the outer deck while he waited for his brother appear. He did not have much confidence in his success if this wound up a solo operation. The Admiral had seemed agreeable to Lance's proposal and he had pulled a similar stunt in Dressrosa. However, Law understood politics enough to know that that Dressrosa stunt may have cost him any leeway here.

Several minutes passed with Law and his crew watching the horizon anxiously for any sign of their partners. Law had always believed the Straw Hats, and particularly, his brother, were miracle workers, able to pull off the impossible. But Luffy had never been this weak before. Even coming out of Impel Down when he had been moving by the grace of a couple of adrenaline shots, he hadn't been this weak. Hell, he still had his devil fruit and his physical strength then even if he had been on the verge of keeling over. Still he had his crew and none of them were slouches. Law also had his capable crew and both ships were better prepared, unlike when they faced down Kaido.

He let out a sigh when Thousand Sunny finally sailed up. Laboon sang in happiness at seeing his friends and Law let himself smile. The ship wasn't the worse for wear despite the number of cannons they had to face, they probably flew over the line.

"So, he let you pass," called out Law as the ship came alongside.

"Hard to say," replied Luffy. "He looked like he wasn't going to but held back at the last second."

"Well you're here, so there's that miracle. We need to get moving," said Law. He gestured toward Laboon. "Tell the whale the plan and that he should probably stay below until we reach Pluton. The longer we wait to spring the surprise the better.

Brook began talking to Laboon as both ships began to sail.

"We should stay alert but try to relax until we see the ship," said Law. "We'll need all our energy then." He quickly added, remembering how the Straw Hats generally ran, "Just don't relax too hard!"

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Several hours passed before they saw the shadow of the great ship and it was another hour before they were close enough to see the escorting battleships and that's when they all could appreciate its ridiculous size.

"Ow! You moved _that_ with just dozen or so people?! That's super outrageous!" yelled Franky. The rest of the crew gasped or shouted their own remarks, expressing their shock and horror at the size of the behemoth.

"Yeah, well it helped to have a wind user on your side," replied Lance. "I think I forgot just how stupidly big that thing was."

Once they peeled their eyes off Pluton's ridiculous size, they realized they had another problem. There were fifteen battleships escorting the behemoth.

Pirate ships ran the gauntlet of ship designs ranging from large powerful fighting ships to light weight travel ships. While many could be classed together, pirate ships often reflected the attitudes of the captain and crews. Pirate ships as a whole had to be able to travel, fight and be the crew's home, but the focus of the captain caused the ship to express different ratios of the three.

If a captain favored plundering, the ship's design was more combat oriented. More cannons, tougher hull, sail designs that allowed for more agility and swift movement or even paddle wheels. Pirate ships had the option for oars, best way to escape danger when caught in a calm or wrong way wind but having part of your crew committed to oars instead of cannons or boarding parties was generally not productive for capturing other ships. Plundering pirates had to be able to take a ship without sinking it and that required boarding it. Oars were best left for when the idea was to sink a ship. Generally, these ships were not efficient long-haul travelers. They tended to trade storage space for combat gear and fighting men, and plunderers would rather spend extra space on holding their treasure rather than large stores of food and water.

If a captain favored adventure, the ship's design was more travel oriented. Fewer cannons, a trimmed hull and sails that maximized any favorable breeze. They lacked the bulky wheels and extra weight of armored hulls and heavy cannons to make traveling from island to island quicker. They had more room for storage and could be at sea for weeks at a shot. The extra storage meant any loot they did manage to acquire could be carried with them without risking their supplies. Any sea battles they took part in were strictly self-defense and mostly oriented to escaping the fight. If they had to capture a ship, they would have to get close enough to board it as they wouldn't be able to force it to submit with cannon fire alone.

Law and Luffy were the adventuring type. While both the Polar Tang were outfitted with potent weapons, neither could be expected to handle the intense combat of a melee sea battle. Law's own ship leaned more toward combat given its nature, but he could shoot two torpedoes at a time and only at whatever was in front of him. Luffy's air cannon could do serious if not catastrophic damage to battleship three times Thousand Sunny's size but only if the ship was straight in front. She had no broad sides to guard her flanks and she only had added on armor plating to reinforce her hull.

Luffy had never been one to think hard about a fight, but without his Gum Gum Fruit, he knew he would be depending on his ship to take on the bulk of the battle. They could not leave their ship to fight the Marines on theirs nor could they let the Marines board them. One kamikaze Marine with a bomb would be the end of them.

Luffy tried to remember the number of cola barrels below and the number required for each blast of the air cannon. He also tried to think about Law's torpedo count. His brain burned with the unfamiliar exertion. Crap! Things were so much easier when it was just a matter of punch harder.

Luffy rubbed his head, trying to visualize the ammo stores, counting with his fingers to keep track. He was probably off, but he was sure that if they could get most of the battleships with a few spares for misses that were sure to occur. Law was smart and so was his crew. They could get the right shots and remove half of them before they were in the mix.

Laboon would need to just focus on hammering Pluton. Stopping that ship was their highest priority. It was tempting to ask the island whale to belly flop the escort ships. He could squash four at once the way they were lined up or throw them if breached beneath them. However, Pluton would keep clunking along and the Marines ships were probably agile enough that after the initial hit they'd scatter. Laboon would be lucky to catch one of them.

If Laboon spent all his time chasing battleships, Pluton could get into position and fire. To that end, it would be a victory for the Marines and defeat for them. Then there was the bothersome reality that if Laboon was breaching and flopping around Pluton in a variation of whack-a-mole, neither Polar Tang nor Thousand Sunny could get near Pluton to enact their part of the plan.

No, Laboon needed to focus on stopping Pluton and leave the escorting battleships to the woefully outnumbered pirate ships.

Luffy now regretted not getting in contact with his allies, though, the idea made him feel all weird. Calling on other pirates to abandon their own fun adventures to save a country that only he cared about? He hadn't even wanted them to be his allies and refused to drink the sake in that special ceremony. Maybe there hadn't been time. He hadn't known where they were in New World and the Marines had flooded Moady, practically barring that route for anyone trying to go to paradise.

But truth be told… Luffy had just forgotten he had that option. So did his crew, since none of them had brought it up. Law hadn't either. With everything that happened afterwards, it was possible the whole ceremony had slipped his mind. The crew were probably too panicked by Pluton's presence to recall things they had never had to think about before. He couldn't think of any other reason why they wouldn't have brought it up.

Now that he thought about it, he needed to contact them post haste. His vivre card had burned up. They were probably convinced he was dead. It was like the World Government had reported the attack on Varian and he hadn't done anything since then to catch the eye of the media. Yep, after this he needed to make a few calls.

Laboon's alarm cry echoed up from the ocean beneath, causing the deck to vibrate with his howl. In the same moment, Luffy's observational haki caught the sound of several things streaking beneath the water toward them.

Torpedoes!

"Everyone!" screamed Luffy as he turned to leap for the main deck from his perch on the lion's head, but that was all he could cry out before the missiles struck. Thousand Sunny pitched violently as explosions tore at her underside. Robin sprouted arms to catcher herself, Usopp and Chopper. Sanji went over with Nami but caught her and used skywalk to get back on the ship. Zoro drove a sword into the deck and grabbed Brook before he went over. Carrot clung to the mast from where she was perched atop the crow's nest. Jinbei clung to the helm, managing to keep it steady by some miracle. Lance caught Luffy around his waist when the leaping bow knocked him off course and toward the water. He dropped to a crouch in the same motion with his godson clutched to his chest. Franky was down below, prepping the air cannon, his wild shouting giving away the wild ride he was having.

"Jinbei, evasive maneuvers!" shouted Lance. "Don't give them an easy target!"

Ordinarily, it was bad form to shout commands to captain's subordinates when you weren't the captain. But Luffy had always run his ship by letting the expert take charge. Lance may have been nearly two decades out of the service, but he still knew naval combat. Something that only Jinbei could possibly compete with. At the very least, Lance knew how Marines would fight from how he would choose to engage. Making him the combat expert and the one to be deferred to at this time. There was zero hesitation as Jinbei complied. An advantage of not being a slave to the ranks. Might just be the only one, though.

The first wave of torpedoes ended. Everyone scrambled as the ship stopped rocking to new positions, ones that would keep them onboard when the next wave struck.

Usopp leapt below deck to help Franky with whatever emergency repairs the Thousand Sunny needed. She was still in one piece; the Adam's wood and the reinforcing steel plats had held their own. However, there was no way she's hadn't sprung leaks. Carrot used a rope to tie herself to the mast so she wouldn't be thrown off. Jinbei began turning the wheel, making the ship zig zag. Luffy clambered to his feet, as Lance regained his, and raced to the Den Den Mushi.

"Law! Law! Are you still there?" cried Luffy.

"Ugh! Barely," came the reply. Law sounded battered. A faint hissing sound could be heard in the background. Was Polar Tang taking on water? "I can't believe they have their own submarines."

"How many of those things do they have?" cried Chopper, who was running circles in a panic.

"How many impacts did you suffer?" asked Law.

"We were supposed to count?" Chopper glared at the Den Den Mushi in disbelief.

"Too many," replied Lance. "Some exploded simultaneously making it impossible to determine the exact number."

"Then too many Marine submarines," replied Law.

"Conservative estimate," said Lance. "They equal the number of battleships."

"I thought we would have a slight edge with the Polar Tang," said Nami. "But now…"

"INCOMING!" shouted Carrot. Luffy sensed the new wave as she cried out. Now that they knew what to look for, they were picking them up sooner.

"LAW!" shouted Luffy, terrified for his brother whose ship was not prepared for this kind of bombardment. Submarines were such a new thing on the sea. Law's had been a rarity when it premiered two years ago. There wasn't much that could compete with it, never mind attack it. It was only armored enough to withstand bombardment from cannons until it could drop beneath the water.

Jinbei read the waves and used their slight peaks to angle the ship as he spun her into a new direction. Most of the torpedoes shot passed harmlessly, but a few had been adjusted to account for Jinbei's potential maneuvers and hit home. Everyone clung to the deck as the ship shook.

"This would be where we would withdraw to regroup and re-plan," said Lance with a grunt as he climbed to his feet. "However…"

"We can't," finished Luffy, understanding Lance's comment. This situation had gone beyond expectation. The Marines were not risking any potential setbacks. Luffy grimaced. Law would be fighting with the submarines that were all better armed and combat focused than his. Luffy would be facing the same long odds on the surface against the battleships along with taking hits from the subs. With Law too busy to help, those battleships wouldn't have the same worries.

"LABOON!" Luffy cried, though how the whale was going to hear him, no one could know. "STRIKE NOW!" But Laboon did, or perhaps he suddenly realized what he needed to do in the face of the overwhelming defense. The ship trembled again with Laboon's war cry. Luffy sensed the great whale rising as he charged forward until he breached the surface. His scarred head must have been a terrifying sight to the Marines in the fleet.

Laboon rammed Pluton. The great waves caused by his movement driving apart the battleships. Pluton creaked but held. The engines driving it forward began whining as they strained to continue driving the great ship forward.

Laboon stopped, back up and slammed it again. The ship was forced to a halt again but nothing else happened. He continued to slam it with the same head on force he used against the Redline, with the same unyielding results.

"LABOON! CHANGE ATTACK! HIT THE SIDES! SMASH THE ENGINES! TIP IT!" shouted Luffy. However, the island whale was too far away to hear this time. Luffy turned and shouted back to Jinbei. "Coo-du-burst! We need to get over there!"

"Luffy! We'll be landing in the middle of that fleet!" cried Nami.

"No! We need to! Look!" said Lance as he pointed toward Pluton. The battleships were turning to face Laboon. Maybe even the submarines.

"Laboon!" cried Brook in horror.

"They're going to attack him!" wailed Chopper.

"They don't consider us a threat to Pluton," continued Lance. "As far as they know, our ships lack the fire power. They were shooting because they aren't taking any chances, but Laboon is a legitimate threat. They're focusing on him now."

"Go!" said Law from over the Den Den Mushi, having heard the entire conversation. "We'll catch up."

"Franky!" called Luffy.

"We're all set!" replied Franky from below.

"Everyone hang-on and prepare for battle!" said Jinbei as he threw the lever. Thousand Sunny leapt into the sky toward what could very well be its doom.

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I'm picking up the pace of posting these chapters because it seems like I wrote another dud and no one is interested in it. I don't want to drag this out any longer, because I'm posting to three different sites. So my Monday night I should have all chapters up.


	14. Battle of Pluton II

**Chapter 13: Battle of Pluton II**

May 14, 801 WG

Landing smack in the middle of half the fleet is not the sanest position to have. The other half being on the far side of a large ship and a giant whale in the middle of a head-butting match and probably worrying about other things besides flying ships at the moment.

Thousand Sunny landed with three ships to her stern, two to her bow, and one on each side. The eighth ship in this posse got to be her pillow. Her reinforced hull crushed the masts of the battleship and sent Marines diving overboard before her weight broke the deck and splintered the sides. She then sat there like a brooding hen on her nest while the ruined battleship began to sink, water pouring in through her cracked sidings.

Chaos erupted as soon as Thousand Sunny touched down. Oddly enough, chaos was exactly what the Straw Hats needed with the added benefit of being wholly familiar ground to them. The three ships to Sunny's stern could do nothing, as they were facing the wrong way and most ships, even in the war happy Marines, did not possess stern cannons. They had to first turn around first to face the pirate ship that just landed among them before they could even think about firing a single shot. A small respite.

The remaining four, in more ideal positioning, all turned their cannons on Sunny. Sunny was in no position to dodge, stuck on top of a battleship that wasn't sinking fast enough. Not that she could have given she was surrounded, so it was only a minor negative. Instead, the Marine submarines now had no way of striking them directly. In fact, it was possible they had no idea Sunny was even there since her hull hadn't materialized on the surface yet, though it was only a matter of time before someone filled them in. At least the torpedoes wouldn't be able to hit her directly for a bit.

The pirate ship was far from a sitting duck, however. When it came to sea melee combat, Sunny had always relied on her capable crew to defend her flanks. And they weren't failing her now. While Zoro and Sanji focused on redirecting or destroying cannonballs, several of the redirected ones slamming into the sides of Marine battleships, Franky and Usopp focused on prepping the air cannon for action. Jinbei stayed on standby by the helm with Nami settling next to him as she prepared to use her wind sword to power the Thousand Sunny forward once they were in the water.

It was tempting to send Jinbei into the water to take advantage of the fishman's native superiority in these types of fights, but a few well-placed torpedoes could hasten Sunny's return to sea water. Better he remained by the helm to guide the ship once she was free of her cradle. That would serve them more. Or at least that was what Lance was dictating.

The Straw Hats expressed mild confusion but an uncharacteristic snap from their captain ended their questions. Luffy trusted Lance wasn't under employing his crew. And he didn't want to Sunny to sink. If she hit the water without her best helmsman, she might take fatal damage should the submarines being lying in wait.

Meanwhile, Marines that had abandoned ship, or avoided being crushed, were now climbing up the sides of the Sunny to engage the pirates in melee combat even as their comrades continued to fire on the ship. It was disturbing to see the zealot level of dedication. Everyone involved must have been hand-picked for that very trait to ensure the mission was completed successfully. Robin, Chopper and Carrot, who had jumped down from her perch on the crow's nest, began fending off the boarders.

Lance stuck close to Luffy, refusing to let him join in. Luffy understood, hated it but understood, every fiber of his body wanted to join his crew, to help defend the ship, to protect them! But he couldn't! He had lost the only fighting style he knew. And while Lance had been drilling him mercilessly on the art of self-defense since he awoke, he was nowhere near ready to engage in a battle of the magnitude, or really, let's be honest, any magnitude. It frustrated him and burned into his mind the need to take his training to the next level once Alabasta was safe. It would be the two-year hiatus all over again, but it was going to be necessary if he was to continue as a pirate. At least he had his haki ability, he just had to relearn how to fight without being about to stretch or expand. This was going to suck.

And none of that changed the fact that he couldn't fight right then! Lance having to babysit him pricked his pride when few things would. However, he managed to refrain from taking any action that would reveal how bad a state he was in. The Marines that managed to get onboard didn't seem to notice, but what about the Marines sitting on the ships? They had a little more breathing room to assess this stuff. Were they noticing that Luffy wasn't rebounding their shots? Were they wondering why he wasn't helping to knock boarders off the ship?

Short-term, it didn't mean much. It just meant it was that much harder for his crew to overwhelm the Marines. The real threat was if they started communicating their findings. Den Den Mushi, without encryption, were easy to eavesdrop on. If pirates learned he was vulnerable, his ship would become a target. Most in New World had to have realized he had everything needed to find Raftel, even if they were keeping their discovery a secret.

Then there was his Grandfleet. Would they continue to follow once they realized his current state? He still wasn't sure what had inspired them to declare themselves his subordinates. He hadn't even wanted them to make the Father-Son swear and now he was hoping they wouldn't violate it. If they turned out to be truly loyal to him, he promised himself he would redo it and make it right. He was going to need that kind of help for the foreseeable future. Damn it would have been nice to have been able to call on them for this. Too bad everyone had rushed over without considering it. Or maybe it was better they hadn't risked it. This wasn't the time to find out the depths of their loyalty.

Maybe that was the real reason everyone else "forgot" about calling for help. They needed to get back to the New World and sort this all out. He hated the uncertainty of not knowing. The anxiety it caused him made him feel like a coward.

Well it didn't matter one way or the other. The Grandfleet wasn't here simply because they didn't know, and he and Law were all that stood between Alabasta and Pluton and very possibly the destruction of the rest of the world. Crap they should have risked it. They were way in over the heads.

Luffy's head began to throb once more from overwork which only aggravated him further.

Thousand Sunny lurched as the ship beneath her finally broke apart. She slid into the water with men screaming in terror as they leapt back into the sea to avoid being crushed as she ground over the remaining planks of the battleship she had body slammed.

"Jinbei! Bear port five degrees then fire the cannon!" shouted Lance as soon as they touched the sea. Jinbei didn't hesitate to follow the directive. The air cannon blasted a battleship, masts shattered like twigs, the bow erupted in a shower of broken wood, and even part of the deck blew off taking men with it. The battleship pitched forward as water poured into the gaping maw that had been her bow. The back blast, used to keep the Sunny from flying backwards when shooting, capsized another in the rear as it tried to turn to face the pirate ship.

_Was that on purpose or just dumb luck?_ wondered Luffy in awe.

"Starboard 20! Fire when ready!" shouted Lance again. Luffy watched the ship move to face another then checked the rear. There was another broad side ship there. The same thing occurred as before. Now they only had three to contend with or at least until the seven on the other side made it over here.

The remaining three weren't letting themselves get lined up like that, though. Now that they knew the back end was as dangerous as the front, they tried to stay at angles to each other. They would have to pick them off as singles now and worse they were trying their damnedest to stay to Sunny broadside where she had no weapons and was vulnerable. Franky pumped his barrels trying to make sure they stayed ready to fire at a moment's notice.

"Starboard 30!" called Lance. Luffy blink as the ship turned to face Pluton.

_What? We aren't going to damage that!_ Then he checked the stern. _Oh…_

Their attempts to dodge cannons and keep the battleships off them as they stayed on Pluton's portside had resulted in two ships now being broadside to Sunny's tail. The air cannon slammed Pluton's portside without affect but the two ships behind them capsized. One ship remained. Sunny turned herself around to face the remaining battleship.

If ships could express emotions, Sunny would be grinning like a fiend while the Marine battleship would have been squeaking "Oh fuck!" One little blast from the air cannon and they were gone. Their side was now clean of Marines on the surface, but Luffy was surprised they weren't being harassed by the submarines. Had they not realized he was here? Or had Law taken care of them?

Laboon groaned in pain and Luffy and the others looked toward Pluton's bow where the Titans were clashing. The ocean was red with blood. Laboon had banged his head for years on the Redline and had tunnels and passages carved through him to make treatment of his large body easier. He was extremely tough as a result. For him to be crying out in pain meant the hits he was taking were starting to reach more sensitive insides.

The other seven battleships weren't bothering to head over to their side. They couldn't damage the ship, Laboon was the threat and thus remained their only target. Was that what was going on with the subs?

Luffy ran to the Den Den Mushi. With this side clear, and Laboon a giant distraction to the Marines, Law could easily use his fruit to tear apart Pluton now. If they hadn't realized it was Law in the submarine and targeted it because of his powers.

"Law!" shouted Luffy into the speaker.

Silence.

His blood running cold, Luffy called again, "Law! Answer me! We're clear on the portside. Get over here. Law!"

After several anxious moments, the snail sputtered, and an exhausted Law came on the line. "It's no good, Luffy," he said, he choked for a moment. Was his ship filling with water. "I got five of them, but only have one shot left. Not that it matters. They decided to focus on the whale now. They're pounding him."

"Law! Get up here, we have our side clear," said Luffy. "You can slice the ship to pieces now."

"I can't!" Law sputtered again. "We're sunk."

Ice lanced Luffy's veins as he realized his brother's situation. The Marine submarines had damaged Polar Tang's ability to return to the surface. Without outside help, she would never surface again. Even if the sub didn't fill with water they would eventually suffocate when their remaining air went bad.

Laboon was being shot to death by the remaining subs and battleships. How much longer the great island whale could last under that barrage was anyone's guess. Worse, Pluton was still inching forward. The engines were holding. Laboon wasn't enough.

Thousand Sunny didn't have the power to break through Pluton's thick hull. It hadn't even rattled when their shot had hit its side. Even if they shot off its engines, they would only be delaying the inevitable. Could they even shoot off the engines? He looked at the things but the ones on this side were larger than the Thousand Sunny and made of metal. He doubted they were fragile. They were the most obvious target on Pluton to strike at. If they had time to study it…

Luffy looked back the Den Den Mushi then at Laboon. A terrible weight was descending on him. Law was trapped on a sunk submarine with no way out. Laboon was being hammered by explosions and cannonballs. And Pluton was still sailing on to the doom of Alabasta and all its people, Vivi, Law's sister, his niece!

He had just found his niece. Law had just reunited with his sister. They had just sworn an oath of brotherhood. Brook had just reunited with Laboon. Did he really have to make this choice? Could he only save one? Could he save anyone?

Luffy looked at the ancient weapon then back at his crew which were feeling the same degrees of hopelessness. There was still the original plan, though, and it didn't need the whole crew. If fact it would be better if they didn't involve themselves further if he went with it.

He would save more than one. He could save more than one.

"Franky!" he called as his mind began to whirl, beginnings of a desperate plan taking shape. "Jury-rig something that can bring up a ship or at least help bring up a lame one."

"Roger, Luffy!" said Franky, not bothering to ask what his captain was talking about.

"Jinbei! I need you take the line down to the Polar Tang when it's ready."

"Leave it to me, Luffy-kun," replied Jinbei with a thump of his chest. Chopper took his big humanoid form and gripped the helm to keep the ship steady in Jinbei's place.

"Usopp! Do you have a fire dial, or can you give me your fire stars?"

"Why do you need that?" Now they questioned him.

"I'm going to light up that ship's magazine," said Luffy, knowing there was going to be a fight but there was no lying to his crew. He just wasn't able to.

"Are you crazy?!" cried Usopp in alarm.

"Indeed! If you go, you won't be able to get off in time," said Nami.

"One of us should do it instead," insisted Sanji.

Luffy glared at them. Lance held his tongue, though he had to be against it. However, the military leader in him was in control and he may have come to the same conclusion. This was all they had left, personal feelings aside, they had to do what was best for Alabasta. Thousands depended on it.

"Lance told us about the design for the ship. The corridors are only wide enough to allow one person to walk comfortably. If someone has to pass someone else, they both have to hug to wall to get around each other. It was designed that way to make it easy to defend. Sanji, your skywalk will be useless inside the ship. Zoro, your three-sword style is going to be hindered by those narrow corridors. It will be easy for them use guns against you since they don't require a lot of room."

"You're not immune to guns anymore, Luffy," said Zoro.

"I still have my haki and if you give me some small explosives, I could hurl at them, I will be able to take out those that don't faint," replied Luffy. "Look we don't have time." He pointed toward Pluton which was picking up speed as it moved. "Laboon is being killed and he's losing the fight to keep Pluton back. We don't know what this thing's range is. It could start shooting at any time. We're saving Law, but I don't think we can get him back up here to work the alternate plan before it's too late."

"Why does it have to be you, though?" wailed Chopper. It was easily a suicide mission. Whoever went wasn't coming back.

"Because, I'm the captain," Luffy with a small smile. "And there is no way in hell I'm ordering my friends to die." He felt his chest constrict as he glanced at Laboon, feeling like a lying hypocrite. "Besides, I keep surviving when I shouldn't, so I should have the best chance of surviving this." He grinned at this last statement even as he didn't believe it.

He could save more than one. He just couldn't save everyone…


	15. Battle of Pluton III

**Chapter 14: Battle of Pluton III**

May 14, 801 WG

Further argument was ended by Lance.

"I don't like this anymore than you do, but Luffy's right. We're running out of time," he said.

"Our captain can't fight right now!" snapped Sanji. "You've made that clear several times already and even insisted he not be the one to light up the magazine."

"I know that. That's why I'm going with him," returned Lance, while running a frustrated hand through his hair. The only sign of the agitation he was feeling over the entire situation. He had told Luffy he couldn't be the torchbearer before. However, they were now staring down the proverbial barrel of the gun and Maryanne's words were rising once more.

"_You'll try, but Luffy will beat you to the punch."_

She had said in a joking manner. He thought he would just be involved but could she have meant something more direct? He was taking a big risk. Worse, there was no way to prevent Luffy from going without failing. The time was alternatives had past and Luffy would never allow anyone else to go in his place. It would break him if they forced the issue.

Luffy began to protest, as expected, but his godfather cut him off. "I'm not going below deck, but I can draw their fire. The men onboard will be more worried about me than you, particularly if you take advantage of your small size and current lack of flamboyancy."

"What do you mean?" asked Luffy.

"Your reputation is that of a young man who charges screaming and punching into the enemy. If you actually manage to keep a low profile once onboard, all they're going to see is me. I'll try to get them to come after me. That should leave the corridor clear of most of its defenders. There isn't much room for crew, remember? Anyone not working the gun is probably topside in case of boarders, not lurking below."

Luffy didn't like it. Laboon was already taking damage from drawing the fire of the escort fleet while hammering at the bow that was beginning to deform under the pressure. Lance would be doing the same thing once they were on the deck.

"Don't give me that look," said Lance. "I'm going to remind the Marines the reason why they dubbed by Raiju in the first place."

Robin blanched. "Raiju! You're the legendary Thunderbeast of the Marines? The one that could hold down an entire army on his own?"

Jinbei looked equally pale. The others showed their youth in not recognizing the name at all. Or their half century of isolation on a broken ship trapped within a giant fog bank.

Lance gave them a wolfish grin and pulled his wrapped sword from his shoulders. He yanked the cloth off revealing a thick blade that showed the wear of countless battles in its dents and chips but still held its shape, though they doubted the edge had been maintained. The sword didn't look like the type that needed an edge to tear bodies in half. He held the sword aloft in one hand, though it seemed the type that should have required two hands.

"Admittedly, I'm not a melee specialist," said Lance. "In small fights, its better for me to use my fists. Otherwise, my allies get caught up in the attacks. But to cut down armies I need this. Most fighters aren't a bother. Few can reach the level needed to withstand by area attacks."

"How are you not a melee specialist if you have that much power?" asked Usopp going pale.

"I don't have the precisions to only strike the enemy in a mixed engagement. Haku and Kuro can. This is really just the base requirement to keeping pace with those two monsters. I always specialized more in strategy and tactics."

As the crew tried to decipher what he meant by that, Lance reached over and grabbed Luffy's sash, then throwing him over his shoulder. "You have what you need, Luffy?" asked Lance as the young man yelped at the unexpected move. Luffy suddenly felt like he owed Law an apology… and Zoro… and whoever else he had tossed over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. It was really not fun. How had his death vision missed that chance to whack him with another selfish action?

"Yeah," said Luffy, checking his pockets for the fire stars and fire dial Usopp had handed over even as he had argued against Luffy going.

"Good. Now once you lot get the Hearts Pirates back up here, start firing on Pluton at regular intervals. Leave two barrels for your escape but don't just stand here and so nothing. Every bit of damage, no matter how small, can be the deciding crack in this ship."

The crew acknowledged his words with a yell then he leapt in the sky, using Geppo to carry him and Luffy onto Pluton's main deck.

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Lance shifted Luffy from his shoulder to behind him with his left arm, keeping the young man hidden with both his bulk and cloak. As he arced into his descent onto the deck, he raised the claymore over his head with his right. The sword was supposed to be wielded with two hands, supposed to be too clumsy and heavy to be handled with just one. He had trained himself to wield the thing one handed as a Marine.

Lance had never allowed his body to go soft in the years since left the Marines and he had made sure that he could always wield his sword one handed when he needed to. He had made sure of it when he had insisted so long ago in wielding a claymore versus the sabers and katana of the rest of the sword corp. Those weapons were just too flimsy to survive his brute strikes.

He filled the blade with haki, infusing his will into the metal and vibrating the air just touching it. He swung down at the deck and an energy blade leapt from the swung sword and struck the wood. Splinters erupted from the impact knocking back several men that had been standing there, preparing for a possible boarding. There were less than he was expecting.

He would need a few minutes of wreaking havoc to draw out any that remained below. He wondered if he could keep Luffy hidden for that long. Probably not, but he would give the Marines far more to worry about than one (former) rubber man.

"You think any of you men can stop me from destroying this ship?" he called out. "Bad enough you're going along with this obscene plot, but for you to actually entertain the belief that you can face me? Hah! You insult me! The ship will be mincemeat and you all are going to be sore come tomorrow. You might as well as throw yourselves overboard now and save yourself the hurt. Though there is nothing you can do about the humiliation you are about to receive."

As he suspected, the Marines onboard were not brainiacs nor were they inclined to challenge authority. Stupid and loyal, they were disposable soldiers meant to carry out the job and be the scapegoats if it all went to hell. A calculated move by the higher officers. Using Pluton was going to kick over some nasty hornets' nests. Either the hornets would be cowed, or they would swarm, and the Marines needed sacrifices to be in place in case they swarmed. These fools didn't even realize they were being used. He almost felt sorry for them, but they were aiding in the massacre of thousands of innocents. There was only so much stupid and blind obedience could excuse.

Lance suspected Fujitora was sent to be in charge of the blockade as a test of the man's loyalty to the Marines. He had caused them a PR nightmare in Dressrosa. They would want to be sure he wasn't a loose cannon that would turn on them in these types of situations. Fujitora was holding his ground, but just barely. It was probably because of Luffy that he hadn't rushed out here. He was betting the young man could pull another miracle like he did in Dressrosa.

The Marines charged at him only to be knocked away by the wind his large claymore kicked up. On a deck crowded with enemies, his attacks were the most effective. One or two enemies and he would have to let them get close and switch to hand-to-hand combat. He lacked the finesse of Dragon and Helgram or the techniques of Maryanne. As a fighter, he wasn't all that special and he would be just as vulnerable indoors as any fighter than required space. Maryanne was the only one that could shine in a crowded corridor. It was his tactical mind that set him apart from the others. Still, in this situation he could more than hold his own.

He spun, swinging Luffy behind him, blocking a blast from a shoulder mounted cannon. In the same motion he sent his godson skidding across the deck toward the hatch then brought the sword down in a high arc. The deck cracked and the shooter was knocked back by the blast. He caught sight of Luffy curled into a ball and tumbling. Marines dove out of the way of what they perceived to be a thrown object rather than a person. They then closed in on Lance. He grinned. Perfect!

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Luffy had been thrown and sent flying hundreds of times in his life. This was the first time since he was a little kid that he recalled it hurting. (Being thrown into a spiked wall didn't count.) However, he had suffered worse pains than the bruising he was getting as he rolled across the deck like a ball.

Lance had tossed him well. He came to a stop near the hatch that would lead to the lower levels. He flattened himself to the deck as a few Marines stormed out. Lance's showy battle had their complete attention and they didn't spare a glance to Luffy who lay unmoving on the deck nearby.

Luffy stretched out his senses while he pressed an ear to the deck, trying to determine how many more Marines were on their way up. When they stopped coming out and he heard no more below, he crept toward the hatch. His old self would have just run down there without all this caution, but his old self was immune to bullets and could attack distant opponents with a punch like a cannon. Two months ago, the narrow corridors would have been more of a problem for the Marines than him.

But he wasn't that man anymore and Lance had done a thorough job in helping him understand that. The man was worse this his grandfather when it came to training people. He understood his current helplessness right down to the marrow of his bones. It was the only reason he was not falling on bad habits now that the battle had started.

He dropped into the lower deck. The gloom of the interior was held at bay by small lanterns spaced down the corridor. Luffy cast his gaze about. The corridor went in two different directions. He was certain he was still too high up in the ship to be near the magazine. His mind struggled to recall Lance's drawings and description of the interior.

They had abandoned the idea of lighting the interior on fire since it was practically a suicide run. Law's ability offered them a much safer alternative. So, Lance had discussed the location within the ship compared to where they would be outside of it rather than go over the corridors and the route within. Luffy hadn't really paid attention to the plan. He wasn't supposed to do much more than wave the flag during the fight. A poor decision with how things had turned out.

Luffy clawed his head as he tried to think about where he was in relation to his target. There was no ladder leading further down where he stood, so he needed to travel down the corridor but which direction? Where had they come down? Near the bow or near the stern? How far had he been tossed again? Luffy felt his head grow hot and his under used brain threatened to boil out his ears.

"Screw it! Just have to trust my gut!" he declared and slammed his fist into his stomach. He had to freeze for a moment as he waited for his diaphragm to remember how to work. He had hit himself just a little too hard. Another consequence of losing his devil fruit.

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Bepo held the ceiling of their sinking submarine with one hand while the other wrapped around his captain's torso. Similar scenes repeated around the deck. Ikkaku or injured crew were being held up so they wouldn't drown, even though it was pointless. Polar Tang was filling with water and sinking. Her engines were gone and the only reason this part of the sub had air was because it was pointed up and didn't have leaks. They were trapped, with no way out.

However, Law's call to the Straw Hats had given them some hope. They were going to try to save them, but Pluton was still on the march and the original plan was in shambles. Law didn't want Luffy to try to save them at the expense of Alabasta and especially his sister and Ann. Bepo hoped that the other pirates had a plan to save them all.

The Straw Hats had always been able to pull of miracles. It was why Law had wanted to ally with them that first time. Could they do it again now?

He heard the clink of metal on metal then the submarine lurched and groaned. The water sloshed within and other yelled in surprise and alarm. If the sub tipped wrong, they would lose what air they had left. However, the sounds coming from outside inspired hope.

The voice that followed made the bear mink's heart soar.

"Are you still alive in there, Law?" It was Jinbei. The former warlord and captain of the Fishman pirates was just outside their ship.

"We're still alive!" called out Bepo. "Don't flip the ship. She's only got air still because of the way she's turned. We'll lose it if she changes direction."

"Understood," called back Jinbei.

Bepo smiled. He didn't agree with the captain's choice to aid Mugiwara in fighting Pluton, but he could appreciate the Straw Hat's refusal to abandon comrades.

_Maybe this is why Captain chose to accept a bond of brotherhood with Mugiwara._

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Luffy ran down the corridor. He was leaving everything to instinct and luck; however, his sense of urgency was growing. The interior of the ship was getting nosy, like the sound of Franky's device that shook up the cola to power the coo-do-burst. If this was the sound of machines beginning to power up, then it meant they were within range of Alabasta.

There was no more time to hesitate. Standing still and fretting about his lack of knowledge would be just as damning as if he went the wrong way. At least if he was in motion, he had a chance of finding the magazine before the main gun fired. Besides he wasn't a man to stand around fretting about what he didn't know. It did tend to get him into a lot of trouble, but it also tended to save a lot of lives. There was nothing to be gained by doing nothing.

No one was down in the corridor. Either they had all joined the fight against Lance or were too busy prepping the great cannon of Pluton. The wood beneath his feet vibrated and he nearly tripped as he ran. The whole ship was humming now.

Then a lurch threw him back several paces. Wood cracked, and the lanterns bounced wildly on their hooks. A few even went out, plunging their sections into darkness. Laboon must have hit the ship again.

The humming turned to a whine and Luffy heard shouts of frustration and fright before the machine sounds subsided for a moment. Laboon's ramming was affecting the ship's weapon somehow. Luffy, however, didn't believe it had been stopped. He got up and started running again, diving down a stair when he found one. He let instinct guide him but had the unnerving feeling that he was actually following a half-forgotten memory. The path was feeling more familiar as he moved and the sense of knowing where he needed to go increased with each passing second.

There was no time to wonder about it. He would save such thoughts for later, pushing the unnerved feelings away and out of sight.


	16. Battle of Pluton IV

**Chapter 15: Battle of Pluton IV**

May 14, 801 WG

Lance did not have the ability to be delicate in a fight like Helgram and Dragon could be. He was all brute force when it came to melee. Something he rather despised about himself but it was the only way to keep pace with the other two without getting a devil fruit. He never considered himself the strongest of the three despite his pension for hurling large numbers of opponents into the air with a single swing of his sword.

Lance was far better at getting people and weapons to act in the most efficient way possible to overcome an opponent. Like how he got a non-combat ship like Thousand Sunny to take out seven battleships of the Marines. That was where his talent lay.

So, standing on a ship's deck swinging his claymore like a barbarian with a club, while effective against the chum Marines, just bored him. He wasn't even trying that hard. He kept one eye on Laboon, leaping into the air when the island whale struck the ship. All the Marines fell on their faces, what an embarrassing show, while he came down with another powerful swing aimed at the deck. Men flew backwards and a few tumbled over the railing. Not that he cared. He was aiming for the deck. Cracks appeared wherever he struck.

Lance gritted his teeth. Every crack weakened the ship and would make the internal explosion more effective. Lance could only hope that Luffy would be able to escape the destruction some way.

_He's Maryanne's son_, he thought. _There has to be a way for him to survive this. She always survived the impossible._ That thought was the only thing he could cling to for comfort as he fought.

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After several descents and lots of running through long corridors, Luffy found what he was looking for. There had been other closed doors, but he had ignored them. That same instinct telling him they were not what he was seeking. A sense that only machinery lay beyond and possibly Marines that were currently prepping the great gun. The door before him now, was a thick metal slab that rolled sideways rather than out into the narrow corridor. The wall on either side now metal as well instead of the wood of the rest of the ship's passages.

Things seemed to be at the danger point. A high-pitched ringing, just on the edge of his hearing was now a constant presence. He didn't have much time.

Luffy took hold of the latch using his meager weight to pull it down, freeing the clasp from the locking loops. Then he grabbed the great door's handle and pulled. It rolled with only a token amount of resistance; the hinges were in excellent shape. He paused when he saw the interior.

He was expecting barrels of black powder or something equivalent. Instead it was rows of glass cylinders with a golden substance within. It reminded him of that dyno rock stuff that Z had used to try to blow up the Grandline. Only that had been purple rocks not golden-whatever that was filling these containers. It still gave him pause.

This could go worse than expected.

Feeling cold despite the marathon he had just run, Luffy pulled out the Den Den Mushi he had just remembered to bring with him. That felt like the thing he needed to do instead of just lighting it up.

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Nami heard the crackle of the Den Den Mushi as Zoro and Sanji helped to pull the crew of the fatally damaged Polar Tang onto their ship one by one. The navigator turned her attention immediately to the device and picked up the receiver.

"Guys?" Luffy's voice sounded from the snail's mouth. It was shaky and uncertain, very much not the standard Luffy.

"Luffy? What is it?"

"I'm at the armory…" He paused. "You might want to take the Thousand Sunny and get out of here."

Nami felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. "Why?" she asked.

"No, you do need to get away from this ship," said Luffy without answering her question.

"Not without you and Lance, Luffy," said Nami. "Just lay down a trail and get back up here."

"I can't. This isn't gunpowder or any kind of powder. It's more like that dyno stuff from before. And besides, I'm really down in here. I couldn't get out even if it was the powder. Too much time. Besides, I think it's getting ready to fire. This thing is making all sorts of noises."

Nami licked her suddenly dry lips. "Luffy…"

"Just get out of here. You guys can't help me if you get crushed by Pluton's hull when it flies free. I'll be okay."

_Liar_, she thought. "Luffy, you can't stay in there."

"I don't have any way to set up a timing device or anything. I'm not Usopp or Franky."

"Luffy…"

"Just get out! We're out of time!"

The snail clicked asleep. Luffy had hung up. Nami bit her lip, she did not want to relay that order and an order it was. However, he was right. There was nothing they could do for him or Lance if it was bad as Luffy thought it was and Luffy was a hopeless optimist. Or at least he used to be. No, he still was. Why else would he chase after Law rather than write him off after Law killed him?

She turned to the rest of their comrades. "Hurry up and get Law and the others out of there!" she yelled.

"We're going as fast as we…" started Zoro as he pulled another Hearts Pirate onto their ship.

Nami cut him off. "Luffy says we need to coo-do-burst out now!"

"WHAT?!" everyone cried.

"Franky! Get it set up!" barked Nami. There was no time for explanations. Luffy had sounded frantic. He had said they were preparing to fire. He wouldn't wait for them to argue it out if it meant stopping Pluton from destroying Alabasta. Ann was there and so was Vivi and so was Law's sister, Lami. Along with thousands of people. Luffy was trusting them to get their asses out of there.

Franky hollered an acknowledgement and got to work prepping the machine to send them flying. Jinbei rushed to the helm while Robin, Usopp and Carrot hurried to take in the sails.

Law, the first to emerge since his crew refused to leave him in the water, had managed to dry off enough to start working his ability again. He grunted through the water induced exhaustion as he began shambling the rest of his crew aboard. Nami wondered if his exhaustion was due to diverting torpedoes with his power and not just from prolonged exposure to sea water.

Just before Bepo appeared, a jet of bubbles shot toward the ship. It impacted one of the engines causing it to explode but doing little else. An excellent hit but far too late to do much at this juncture. According to Luffy, the ship was already preparing to fire. Slowing her down was no longer the priority. However, there was some satisfaction in seeing it even if it was little more than a single middle finger elegantly raised to the whole Marine operation.

Then she heard something. A whine or ringing right on the upper edge of her hearing. She looked again at the ship. Laboon hit it and cracks became visible but only because light was shining from within to fill the fissures and expose the damage the ship had actually taken.

Nami paled then screamed, "Cut the ship! We need to fly! NOW!"

Zoro slashed the chains that were binding the Polar Tang to them, the sub vanishing beneath the waves immediately.

"Everyone, hang on!" called Franky from below. Hearts and Straw Hats dropped or grabbed whatever was nearby that was attached to the ship. Thousand Sunny shot into the air just as Pluton, Laboon and everything within their vicinity vanished within a hemisphere of golden light.

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Lance heard the edge of hearing ringing as he struck the deck again in time with Laboon's attack. Cracks ripped open on the deck, accented by a strange light within. The island whale's final strike caused the battered deck to lift up and Lance was struck by the part he had been planning to land on. Pieces of it broke free of the machines within and he and several others fell into the water.

A second later the surface erupted in light.

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Luffy waited for as long as he dared as the gun built up power before finally hurling Usopp's exploding stars at one of the cylinders. They exploded and he followed up with the fire dial, pouring heat onto the section. The glass didn't seem to react to either assault. Luffy swallowed, wondering what it would take to destroy the armory when he noticed the same high-pitched ringing now coming from the direction of the cylinders. He looked again.

While the glass didn't seem to be cracked, the contents were glowing. Then the neighboring cylinders began to glow, and the ringing gained a chorus. Soon the ones next to them starting ringing and glowing.

_Uh-oh!_

Luffy bolted down the corridor, leaping up the stairs as he rushed for the exit above. Laboon struck the ship again and he was thrown on his face. He scrambled back to his feet, ignoring the bleeding lip and skinned palms. The ringing grew and he felt the ship shivering beneath his feet even as he bolted.

He wasn't going to make it.

Every instinct screamed that he wasn't going to reach the deck, never mind get off the ship before the explosion.

His lungs burned from exertion, his heart threatened to beat itself right out of his chest, but still he ran.

He wasn't going to make it. He needed to be outside, in the water, now! Not in a minute! Now!

Light filled every space around him, and he sensed the floor, the wall and the ceiling vanishing behind him. Fear filled him. Never before had he feared for his own life like this. He thought he could handle dying in pursuit of his dream. He thought if he could achieve his dream thing nothing else mattered.

Ann flashed through his mind. The Malice of the World mocked him. His crew. His brothers.

_I don't want to die!_

Everything seemed to slow down for him. Light enveloped him.

Then he was flying face first into water.

_Huh?!_

He went completely under, the water surrounding him. Was he dying again? No, this water tasted of salt. Above him the surface lit up in a golden light for a single second, extending its illumination to the water around him before vanishing as suddenly as it had come. Sunlight seemed so dark by comparison but Luffy saw pieces of Pluton all around him beginning to bob back to the surface.

Luffy flung his arms around. He could move, now that he was no longer a devil fruit user, but he had never had the chance to learn how to swim. He tried to remember how others did it while his lungs burned with the need for air.

He just managed to grab hold of a piece of wreckage that was floating back to the surface and let it carry him up. He gasped once his head breached the surface and looked around.

There was nothing.

Bits of wreckage were bobbing to the surface along with, gruesomely, bits of bodies, but otherwise there was nothing. No ships. Nothing bigger than a few yards of wood appeared in all directions.

Then something large rolled onto the surface as trapped air bubbles escaped it and Luffy paled.

It was a tail, a large tail that once belonged to an even larger aquatic animal. Red blood flowed down the sheared off appendage and into the water. The red spread out turning the blue of the sea into a dark angry shade of crimson.

Luffy realized what he was staring at and swallowed in horror and grief.

Laboon.

Laboon had still been hammering the ship with everything he had in his attempt to destroy it. He had had no warning of the impending explosion and now he was gone.

The tail rolled as the last of the air bubbles within escaped and the giant piece of whale flesh sank. It would soon become a buffet for numerous sharks and other sea predators and scavengers. Luffy looked around for something large enough to climb onto. With all the blood in the water, it would be easy for him to become something's meal if he stayed partially submerged.

He spied a piece of a ship's hull. The near flat nature of it that allowed it to behave like a raft despite the loss of its walls revealed it to be a part of Pluton. The bottom of the boat that had been beneath the water. How it had managed to avoid being destroyed in the internal explosion he didn't know, but it was here, and it would mask his presence from sea predators, so he didn't care.

Luffy may not know how to keep himself from sinking, but it was simple enough to pull himself through the water as long as he kept one arm around the piece of wood that kept him afloat. Without his devil fruit, he was no longer rendered immobile by the sea. It was one advantage gained out of that entire fiasco.

The pirate captain pulled himself up onto the floating remnants of Pluton, catching sight of tell-tale triangular fins beginning to appear in the waters beyond. He let out a sigh of relief only to gasp as he became aware of how much he hurt. The adrenaline that had been pumping through his system had begun to dissipate and now that he was safe, he no longer had the narrow focus to block out all unnecessary and troublesome input from his body.

He hurt. It wasn't the ache of over exerted muscles nor the throb of newly formed bruises. It wasn't stabbing pain or burning pain, either of which he might have expected under the circumstances from being caught in an explosion. It was just pain, pain that was rapidly developing into crippling and near black-out levels.

He couldn't think. He couldn't feel the wood beneath him anymore. He couldn't feel the water that still dripped off him nor the sun that warmed his skin. Everything hurt and his brain felt like it was turning itself inside out. Light spots and dark spots warred in his vision blocking out everything else and his ears rang like a chorus of great bells.

Was he lying on the floating piece of hull or was he rolling around and about to go off the end? He didn't know and he didn't know that he didn't know. His brain refused to even acknowledge that much of his confusion as it burned and twirled and shocked but refused to grant the mercy of unconsciousness.


	17. Raiju

**Chapter 16: Raiju**

May 14, 801 WG

Thousand Sunny wandered back into the area where Pluton had been. The debris in the water and the gory mess that was all that was left of their friend, Laboon, marked the area they had flown from to escape the blast. So little remained despite the size of the ship and its escort of fifteen battleships. It was both sobering and chilling.

Nami looked over the water biting her lip. Laboon hadn't made it. Brook's wailing emphasized the horror and despair of the moment. Lance and Luffy had been onboard the giant ship when it exploded. With so little left it didn't look possible for either man to have survived.

"There! I see him! Over there!" Carrot called from her perch atop the crow's nest.

Jinbei steered the ship in the direction she indicated. A large piece of debris bobbed in the waves like a raft. It took Nami a minute before she realized it had to have been the bottom hull of Pluton. Soon she saw the red shirt and straw hat of her captain collapsed on it near the edge.

He wasn't moving.

Law came up next to her then raised his hands and cried, "Shambles!"

Luffy materialized on the deck next to the pair. Chopper hurried over from where he had been on the main deck while Law knelt and checked for injuries.

There were no wounds visible and, between the two doctors, they could find nothing wrong internally. Law rolled him over and all three gasped.

Luffy's eyes were twitching as if they were trying to follow something that was moving quickly. Law recovered first and shined a light into the other captain's eyes.

No reaction. The pupils failed to acknowledge the brightness being shined into them, remaining dilated. Nami knew enough about medicine to know that was not a good sign.

"He's cold," noted Law as he placed a hand against Luffy's head. He moved his hand down to his brother's hands and hissed. He quickly checked the young man's pulse.

"He's cold but his pulse is elevated," Law added.

"It's just like before," gasped Chopper. "He's being dragged back over again!" Law looked confused at the reindeer; they hadn't informed Law of all the side effects Luffy had experienced from being revived.

Nami didn't think Luffy was being dragged back as much as whatever that strange new ability of his was bringing him too close to the threshold. Not because that was where the power was drawn from, but because Luffy was too weak to really be using it. If Luffy's mother had been able to use similar abilities without issue, it would reason that Luffy could too. But, like trying to lift too much at once, these new abilities were beyond what his body could handle. He needed time to regain his full strength without resorting to it. And training might help build his tolerance for it.

"Then we need to get him warm and get water and nutrients into him," said Nami. "He's burning through his reserves again and he never had much to start with."

"We should get back to Alabasta," said Law. "They have resources and can hide us, so we don't get into any unnecessary battles before we're ready."

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Fujitora would have been staring hard into the brig if he still had eyes to see. He only faced it now out of habit from his time with sight that he had never had reason to break. It was less unnerving for all, and felt more natural to him, if he turned his face toward whatever he was focused on.

He recognized the occupant of the cell. His aura, his voice, even his scent, despite being freshly pulled from the ocean, was the same.

After Pluton had exploded erasing all traces of itself and everything within one mile that remained above the waves, the surviving submarines had circled the area looking for survivors. There had been an alarming few. Only those that had been thrown into the water just before the main explosion and hadn't gotten back up to the surface had been spared. They picked up anyone they could find. This man included.

His lack of uniform had been the only reason the Marines had confiscated his weapon and put him in a cell. Otherwise they had no idea who he was. He didn't strike then as a pirate, though they could think of no explanation of why he was in the area at that time. Anyone from Pluton who might have been able to explain was unconscious at the time.

The submarines had then sailed over to Alabasta to rendezvous with the admiral and his fleet, they had lost their support ships in the explosion. They quickly submitted to his command. Even when the unconscious men awoke to explain that the one in the cell had attacked them, they did nothing because Fujitora ordered them not to.

Fujitora knew him. It was the man that had asked Fujitora to stay out of the fight with Pluton, the ex-Marine. He had never gotten around to introducing himself, merely explained his one-time connection.

The man sat in his cell, calm as if he were a guest and not a prisoner who faced an execution for his part in the attack on Pluton. Fujitora was relieved at his success and hated he had remained at Alabasta instead of doing the right thing. He wanted more than anything to open the cell and let the man walk out as a thank you for saving the Marines from committing a horrible sin.

But he couldn't. The Fleet Admiral had already received a report from the submarine commander about the prisoner they had picked up. Fujitora couldn't pretend there wasn't anyone here.

"What am I going to do with you?" whispered Fujitora. Sakazuki would want the man brought back so he could be interrogated then executed for his crimes. The admiral clenched his staff in frustration.

"That is the question," said the man. "A more important one you should be thinking is, what is the World Government going to do to Alabasta now that their great weapon has been destroyed?"

Fujitora felt his heart skip a beat. If the Gorosei wanted the island destroyed there was an alternative. Would he be ordered to bombard the desert kingdom now that Pluton was gone?

The answer came sooner than he wished. An attendant appeared at his elbow with a Den Den Mushi in hand.

"It's the Fleet Admiral, sir," the young man said with a salute.

Fujitora took it, aware that the man in the cell had tensed and was focusing on him. The admiral didn't bother to move away from the cell door. It wouldn't make a bit of difference if he heard whatever Sakazuki had to say.

"Fujitora, here."

"Fujitora," came the Fleet Admiral's disagreeable voice. "You are to commence a Buster Call on Alabasta at once with the ships you have there."

_Feign ignorance. You have no knowledge of Pluton or the World Government's intentions toward Alabasta_, thought the blind man even as he sensed alarm from his men at the order.

"Why? I thought we were preventing an illegal immigration. Why must we perform an execution of Alabasta's innocent?"

Sakazuki snarled. "The orders are to destroy Alabasta. They have been asking too many questions. They have been judged to have become as dangerous as Ohara."

Fujitora felt himself grow cold. The only people capable of making that judgement were the Gorosei. Now he had to decide. Follow that order and condemn hundreds of thousands of men, women and children to an unjust death because their royals had dared to ask questions the Gorosei had no intention of answering. Or defy orders, possibly only succeeding in delaying that outcome, losing his position in the Marines and everything he had hoped to achieve. It was the same decision he had faced when he was told of Pluton's impending arrival and the man had given him an out. There was no out this time.

A hand reached out of the cell and snatched the receiver from his trembling grip.

"So this is what it comes to," the man said, speaking into the receiver. One of Fujitora's men reached to take the receiver back but the admiral stopped him. He was now curious to see what the man wanted to say to Sakazuki. It also gave him more time to decide what to do.

"Who is this?" demanded the Fleet Admiral, already angered.

The man ignored him. "The Nefetari Family asked questions that were provoked by what happened two years ago when Crocodile tried to usurp them. If those questions were inappropriate, then just don't answer them. It changes nothing about their potential threat when they don't learn anything new."

Sakazuki growled and said, "I demand to know who's speaking."

"When Ohara was destroyed for learning inappropriate things, there was tremendous backlash that rocked the foundation of the World Government. It took years to resolve and we are still feeling the aftershocks to this day. Or are you going to try to convince me the Death Warrant on your head, Akainu, is not still active in West Blue?"

Silence met that statement and what a shocking statement that was. The Fleet Admiral had a Death Warrant on him?

"Do you think the attitude of the West had improved? Do you think the World Government is in a stronger position now? Two Warlords turned on royalty, slandering their good name and inspired the people to revolt against them in order to take control of their nations. One was more successful than the other. The World Government failed to recognize that threat. And on the later one, I daresay they encouraged it."

Fujitora felt his heart skip a beat at the statement. Had the man suggested that World Government had encouraged Doflamingo's takeover of Dressrosa?

"You know nothing of what you're talking about!" cried the Fleet Admiral.

"I know what I'm talking about. I studied military tactics and strategies. I know all these games and I know how battles and wars can unfold. How do you think you were able to lose Pluton to two little pirate ships that aren't even suited to battle against fifteen warships and seventeen war submarines? I know how to maximize what resources I'm given to pull off impossible victories. I've done it dozens of times.

"Unlike you, Akainu, who only knows how to wave your almighty club of prehistoric vengeance while howling 'JUSTICE!' like a goddamn Neanderthal."

Fujitora just managed to keep a straight face as incomprehensible sputtering came over the line.

"If I was so inclined, I could take what was left of Dragon's little Revolutionary Army and tear your precious Marines to shreds."

"Are you making a threat?"

"I'm stating a fact. And here another fact. Ohara was one of the greatest screw ups in the Marines' military history. Not because Nico Robin escaped but the fact that something as grotesquely overpowered and unnecessary as a Buster Call was used to eliminate a small band of unarmed scholars that your men had already tracked down and herded into one area. A simple firing squad would have been far more effective and far less destructive. Instead you killed them, hundreds of uninvolved citizens, dozens of Marines and burned down a world treasure.

"The great Tree of Knowledge was an ancient relic that loyally protected the history of mankind for millennia, predating the World Government and the Void Century. No man living had the right to burn that down. No matter how much squawking you do about devils and uprisings it's never going to justify the destruction of that library. It will go down in history as one of the greatest tragedies of the ages and everyone involved in its destruction will be cursed for generations to come.

"This is the reason West Blue blew a gasket over it. This is the reason the World Government was nearly torn in two. This is the reason war almost happened. It was a fiasco, an embarrassment to the World Government, a black eye to their reputation that they will not be able to get rid of within our lifetime if ever.

"West Blue has not forgotten, nor has it forgiven. It simply allowed itself to be pacified for the time being because they had no one they could fall behind to lead them in an organized front against the World Government. The World Government's plan to keep the nations divided is still working. They were too distrustful of each other to fully commit. However, things are different. Dragon is a neutral military leader who offers alternatives. You piss them off again, they might just throw their lot in with him. If you thought Dragon was dangerous before when he was scrambling for resources, wait until he has the might of fully stocked kings at his back.

"And that's just that problem. There have been several screws up in the last three decades to place the World Government upon the cutting edge of a knife. You Buster Call Alabasta and the World Government will be destroyed within the year."

"You have-!" Whatever the Fleet Admiral had to say in response was cut off by another voice breaking into the line.

"You seem so certain of this, Vice-Admiral Raiju."


	18. Raiju's Battlefield

**Chapter 17: Raiju's Battlefield**

May 14, 801 WG

Fujitora froze, as did his subordinates, at the abrupt interruption. Then he realized who was speaking. It was one of the Gorosei. Had they been listening in on the conversation? It shouldn't have surprised the admiral that they may have wanted to monitor the situation since the Pluton debacle was their brainchild, but that didn't make their sudden appearance any less shocking.

Fujitora studied the man within the cell, the one the Gorosei had addressed as Vice-Admiral Raiju. A vice-admiral, not surprising, considering the sheer gall he had displayed. Somehow Fugitora came to the conclusion that "Raiju" was a code name like his. He doubted anyone had named their child "thunderbeast". A vice-admiral with a code name… Only three could hold the title of admiral at any given time. There were bound to be vice-admirals that were at admiral level but couldn't be promoted due to the limitation. A code name signaled the presence of one. It gave Fujitora much to think about and a new respect for his prisoner.

Fujitora sensed a different emotion emanating from the ex-vice-admiral. While his subordinates were expressing shock at the interruption, Raiju was expressing triumph. Hmmm…

"Because it is what will happen if you go through with annihilating Alabasta," replied Raiju.

There was a pause before the Gorosei responded. The five men must have been talking among themselves about how to address him. Finally, they responded, "The point of this is to remind the world of our power and might."

"Wasn't that also reason behind Roger and White Beard deaths as well? Publicly execute Roger as a warning to would be pirates. Instead we ended up with this Great Pirate Era. You lured in White Beard to Marineford in an effort to demonstrate to all the might of the Marines. The seas are even crazier now than they were before."

Fujitora grimaced. He was one hundred percent right. They hadn't accomplished anything with these demonstrations of superiority. In a sense, the demonstrations had resulted in things becoming worse for them.

"Now," Raiju continued, "if the White Beard execution was secretly done to deliberately create chaos in an effort to thwart Dragon, that didn't work either. It wasn't a bad idea; people do tend to cling to whatever represents security in times of chaos rather than embrace change. So in theory, taking out a major stabilizer of the sea should have made it harder for Dragon to inspire rebellions in nations no matter how nasty their monarchs were.

"However, you lacked the follow through on this plan. The Marines needed to be set to step up their game to fight the chaos so people would want turn to the World Government for their continued safety. Because of that failure, people saw the whole thing as poor planning and lost faith. Dragon at least plans his revolutions all the way through to establishing a new governing system after the monarch falls. This includes military for keeping the country safe from invaders. Instead of being dependent on the Marines, the new nations are self-sufficient. People see that. That's why the rebellions have been increasing in the last two years instead."

Raiju paused, probably to let his words sink in. Fujitora mulled over his statements. How many people had lost their lives in the wake of Paramount because they had taken away their only protector? A protector they needed because the Marines couldn't, or, more accurately, wouldn't, protect them for various reasons. The Marines only protected the paying public after all and sometimes not very well then either.

"Honestly though, the Marines behavior following White Beard's demise was reprehensible. There are certain ethics that need to be maintained to protect the image of the Marines and that was violated on live camera. Do you honestly believe the image of Marines cackling as they run down beaten men while ignoring their injured comrades is going to inspire confidence in anyone? Or how about the image of an admiral attacking a cadet who rightfully called them all out on their questionable behavior? Why was it a Yonko that had to stop the senseless bloodshed and not our own officers? Marines should never behave worse than pirates. They should always be above that base nature and be an example of civilized people. That alone critically damaged the Marines' reputation with the world. The world saw Marines behaving no better than common thugs."

A sigh escaped the Den Den Mushi and the Gorosei speaker said, "That type of image was never supposed to be broadcast. The video was supposed to be shut down part way through the fight."

"Never assume you can control the narrative at all times. You set yourself up for situations like that. Especially nowadays when you've lost control of the World News."

"How do you know about that?"

"I suspected it from what was being printed of late. It isn't in line with the image you like to project to the world. But thanks for confirming it. It makes me feel better when I can verify my gut instincts."

Fujitora bit his cheek. Raiju hadn't had to say that last part. He might as well as stated they needed to mind their tongues, less they give him more information than he had. The Gorosei seemed to have heard that message too as the Den Den Mushi remained silent for a full minute.

"Black Beard was also a massive military mistake," continued the former vice-admiral when nothing was said by the others. "Your desperation to fill Crocodile's seat was made painfully obvious by your choice, especially following on the heels of Crocodile's slandering of the Nefetari name and attempted usurpation of their throne just so he could get a hold of Pluton's whereabouts."

"There was no way to foresee how he was going to act."

"There was plenty of warning signs if you bothered to remember pirates are human and have the same seven vices and seven virtues to govern their actions. You just dismiss all pirates as traitorous bastards. As such you fail to miss the dynamics of various crews. The way White Beard ran his, Black Beard's choice of actions should have contained enough red flags to make a parade. But you didn't bother to heed them. He gave you Fire Fist and you gave him the keys to the sixth level of Impel Down.

"Then there's the decision to not post new wanted posters for the fiends that escaped that level after Black Beard trashed the place. That was a brilliantly short-sighted solution to mitigate the Marines fallen credibility that is going to have some horrific long-term consequences. It's only a matter of time before those devils return to wreak havoc on the sea. How many more people will have to die at their hands because you didn't want to spend the effort hunting them while they were still weak from their long imprisonment? There using this time to recover, they aren't going to disappear."

"We are hunting them," said the Gorosei speaker. "We are just doing it discreetly."

"The monarchs aren't going to see it that way," replied Raiju. "And just how many have you managed to find never mind capture in these last two years?"

The silence was a telling answer.

Fujitora couldn't believe how long the conversation had gone on. The Gorosei were being scolded, by a former Marine that had just destroyed their precious weapon. Even more shocking they were listening. It also helped that it sounded like Raiju still saw himself as being on their side.

Raiju sighed. "With the way things are going you have to realize after Dressrosa, some nations might be thinking that you condoned Doflamingo's actions. You made him a warlord, allowed him to slander and usurp a ruling monarch, a member of the World Government no less, and drive his family into exile and enslavement if not outright killed. Given King Riku's ability to pacify warring nations, one might have thought he could undermine your division tactic. That would have been dangerous to your power. Letting Doflamingo go wild certainly solved that problem. Then Doflamingo went on to manufacture weapons that eventually were sold to countries that were fighting with Dragon. Double bonus!"

Fujitora shivered. Raiju's cold reading on Dressrosa's history changed his perspective on the situation. It was not a good change.

"We did not let that man run rampant in Dressrosa for any such reason, we just couldn't…" Silence again. They had caught themselves this time.

"What?" asked Raiju sounding disgusted. "Are you going to tell me that some lowly pirate had the capacity to _blackmail _you into inaction?"

More silence.

"Then perhaps you should give Law back his warlord title because he did you a massive favor. You only stripped him of that title because of his choice in ally but he did better work for the Marines than any of your other warlords. Except maybe Kuma but obedience due to a threat to his family and kingdom is not exactly something to be praised."

The Den Den Mushi kept quiet but the connection was still there. They must have hacked the line for Sakazuki to have not said a word this whole time. He probably was still listening, but he could no longer express his opinion. That was telling.

"Why did you choose those two to attack Pluton with?"

"Law's ability. I had another strategy to light the magazine on fire and let Pluton be destroyed by its own power but that carried too much risk to the person setting the blaze. With the Op Op fruit, he could cut the ship apart without trying and without having to be onboard. I just needed a means to get him close enough. I chose Mugiwara because his ship allowed for a means to disable the battleships while minimizing potential Marine casualties. However, I had missed the advent of the submarine to naval warfare, forcing us to revert to the original risky plan. And then I didn't realize how potent the ship's unique ammo was. I honestly hadn't anticipated the ring of absolute destruction. I'm only as good as the information I have. I'm not a god."

His honest sadness and regret carried in his voice.

"It's five times more potent when exposed to water but if you had managed to sink it before the magazine got wet the explosion would never have breached the surface nor affected the submarines. It would have remained contained."

Fujitora was surprised they had said that to Raiju. Raiju didn't say anything this time. Though he sensed the man's emotion roll from bitter regret to cold interest. _He had warned them once to mind what they told him_, thought Fujitora. _Are they perhaps trusting him with that information?_

"I think the only consolation you are going to get from this whole thing is Dragon having taken critical damage to his whole operation. He's not going to be able to continue his war with you as long as no one rushes to his aid now. I strongly suggest you don't give anyone the incentive to do so."

"If his son joins him, however, he won't need an army. We know what happened at Varian. And we don't doubt you already know something about it. You've been dodging all references to Mugiwara as someone of consequence, but we haven't forgotten."

Fujitora wondered why they felt that way. What was it about Mugiwara that made them so fearful? And what happened in Varian? Fujitora had heard Vegapunk's island had suffered an attack but no one would discuss the details, all having been ordered to silence.

"Mugiwara is not going to join his father," replied Raiju with only the briefest flutter of anxiety that the admiral alone could detect. "Dragon has too much guilt for agreeing to go alone with your failure of a project. That's why he disassociated from his son in the first place. He can make all the claims he wants about wanting his son to grow up free to live his own life, but he knew that wouldn't happen when he made the choices he made. No, Dragon abandoned Luffy because he didn't trust himself with the boy. He still doesn't."

"You know what happened at Varian and yet you call it a failure?"

"One hundred and forty-eight dead out of one hundred and forty-nine, yes I call it a failure. The whole reason the Revolutionary Army exists today is because of that project. Did you even bother reading the report of what Dragon did when he learned the truth? I had to supervise the cleanup of that mess. I had never known Dragon to be do anything except act in a calm manner at all times. What was left of those scientists and doctors after he vented his wrath… There was a reason why I parted ways with him back then. I truly feared his intentions afterwards. I would love to think my departure was the slap in the face he needed to return to his senses, but I think we both know what prompted him to stay his hand nineteen years ago."

The Gorosei were silent again. Discussing or contemplating it was hard to tell at this juncture.

"Dragon will never use his son like that. If they ever stand shoulder to shoulder on any battlefield it will be because they found themselves facing the same foe at the same time. Honestly, Pluton is the closest you've come to that moment."

"It would still be better if Mugiwara died before any such time comes."

"Take that up with the gods," said Raiju with a snort. "They've already shown their hand to me. They have their own agenda and Mugiwara is a large part of it. They will not let him die while he still has a job to do."

"What agenda?"

"No idea, but if you could kill him, he would be dead already. Lucci almost had him, should have had him, just last month."

"We've forgotten you are from a rather superstitious culture."

Fujitora thought that was rather insulting but Raiju merely snickered at their words. The sound carried a note of pity. Then he became serious.

"The one I fear most, is Helgram. I can't help but believe you've learned the truth of Escarto and know the part he played in that disaster."

"… Yes…"

"Maryanne gave you quite the gift with her brilliant storytelling to sidestep that issue with no injury to the Marines' image. How unfortunate it cost you her service."

"You were saying…"

"Helgram is a vindictive bastard. Willing to do anything to achieve his goals, even if it means killing the innocent and damning his comrades. He is also in the Revolutionary Army. Dragon is too kind. He knows what this man is capable of, yet he couldn't bring himself to kill him soon after they all parted from the Marines because of what happened. Dragon keeps him on a tight leash and gives him limited power. It had to have smarted when he gave the title, Second-in-Command, to that young whelp, Sabo."

"What are your concerns with that disreputable lout?"

"You knew the truth and let him become an admiral, anyway, don't act like his foulness upsets you. The concern is that Helgram will gleefully use Mugiwara. Helgram is good at figuring out a person's weakness and exploiting it. He knows Mugiwara is of the project. He just thinks he's a dud. If he learns otherwise…"

A curse slipped through the Den Den Mushi to Fujitora's shock.

"You can argue again that death to Mugiwara is the only solution and you can dismiss my claim to him being favored by the gods. However, I'm going to tell you something now that will prove that dismissal foolish and your solution unattainable."

He paused as he let them absorb his words.

"I was on the deck of Pluton but Mugiwara was the one that ran into the bowels of the ship and lit the magazine on fire with a torch. If he comes back alive from that…"

Fujitora barely suppressed his gasp. He only had his men's reaction to be able to judge the size of the ship. He only had Pluton's escort to tell him how deep the inside went. Only those that had been flung off just before the explosion had survived, that is. No one that had been inside had. If Mugiwara had been the one to light the magazine on fire, there was no way he escaped the explosion.

"In other words, this may have solved itself, or it will prove Mugiwara is untouchable."

"Perhaps you should focus now on what can be done to minimize the harm this whole scenario can cause," said Raiju. "This was far too much a spectacle to hope to just pretend it never happened. You need to quickly come up with a plausible story and do some sort of public address before the reporters start interviewing."

"And how would you suggest we approach this?"

"Something close to the truth. Alabasta caught wind of a threat to its nation and tried to get the people to safety. Marines caught wind of a threat to the people and wanted them to stay home instead of making themselves vulnerable at sea. Neither side had all the necessary information. Fujitora was holding steady to protect the people from what was believed to be an impending pirate raid or something similar. There have been tactics deployed in the past where the obvious battle was nothing more than a decoy to allow raiders to come in behind the defenders. Fujitora holding steady makes sense while another fleet was attacking what appeared to be the main threat, in case this was another two-prong attack. No one had any idea what they were really up against until the explosion occurred."

"That sounds like an excellent tale," said the Gorosei. "How about you and Fujitora hammer out the details and have the admiral here address the people. After Dressrosa, they should hold his word in high regard."

Fujitora stiffened. He didn't like being used like that. He knew it would hurt his reputation later if it ever got out. However, that was a minor concern. If they were going with his plan, then that meant… Alabasta was to be spared.

"Make sure you don't issue any new wanted posters for the Hearts Pirates or Straw-Hat Pirates."

"Why?"

"Even though you printed a tall tale about Smoker being the one to stop Crocodile two years ago, the savvy leaders of the world are capable of reading between the lines. More than doubling a rookie's bounty with no corresponding incident he's tied to but occurring in the wake of the one in Alabasta? That's a shout to all that it was really Mugiwara that defeated your warlord. Raise by any amount following this event and they will know that once again Mugiwara was responsible for saving Alabasta. His bounty is Yonko level as it is. Any increases would be mere pennies in comparison. There's nothing to gain issuing a new bounty and far too much to lose."

The Gorosei were silent for a moment then said, "We expect the address to occur by this evening."

Raiju laughed. "Please! I'll have it done within the hour."


	19. The Deal

**Chapter 18: The Deal**

May 14, 801 WG

"I can't believe you talked them, not only out of destroying Alabasta, but also letting you leave," said Fujitora as Lance rewrapped his claymore before hooking it over his shoulders to rest on his back.

Lance recalled the conversation that occurred after he had read the Gorosei the falsified media report for their approval.

"_Despite your choice of actions, you still possess the keen mind that allowed your team to overpower the O'hare Pirates of two and half decades ago. We are in sore need of such military intelligence, and if you are not inclined to fall under Dragon's flag, we extend you an invitation to return to service at your former rank. This entire incident will be dismissed as irrelevant. A necessary destruction to avoid further trouble in the future. Your advice would be considered in all future campaigns to make certain that chosen activities resulted in the desired outcomes."_

_Lance held his breath for a half a minute after they finished their proposition. Cold fury building within that he struggled to contain. The Gorosei's offer was beyond generous, all things considered, but Lance's still felt insulted by it. That type of generosity always came with strings. What kind of fool did they take him for?_

_When he finally replied it was with one icy word. "No."_

_Silence followed the former vice-admiral's refusal. It seemed the Gorosei had no idea how to handle such a straightforward rejection. No one said "no" to them. Lance took another deep breath and continued, his voice even and devoid of emotion. He was trying not to express the rage that had flared at the offer. It would do him no good to start thundering at them. Things had going so well until this point. In fact, the offer revealed just how well he had been doing. Focusing on that helped to soothe his anger._

"_I highly doubt I am you first advisor and I highly doubt you would heed my advice at every juncture. I would bet my entire career earnings that you have ignored other advisors when their advice ran counter to your 'grand vision'. This offer is just to get me off the playing field, to keep me out of the hands of your enemies. You have no intention of doing more than giving me a polite ear. You'll probably listen on some issues that aren't as important to you just to give me the feeling that you meant what you promised. But when it really matters, I won't have a voice. If I accept this offer, I will expose all my weakness to you, making retreat nearly impossible should I find our arrangement undesirable."_

_They understood nothing about his home island. To them it was some backwater superstitious island with little to nothing to contribute to their coffers. He would like it to stay that way. Once upon a time he had wanted to change that but not anymore. If they knew nothing about his home, then they would know nothing about his family. They couldn't use them to threaten him into taking actions he rather not take. He didn't want to become another Kuma… or Garp._

"_So, again, no. I will not return to the Marines. You showed me your true colors when you allowed Helgram to become an admiral even while knowing the truth of Escarto. You showed those colors hadn't changed when you promoted Akainu to Fleet Admiral. If you had gone with Sengoku's choice of Aokiji, I might had thought you were beginning to grow wiser to what the Marines, the world, needed to happen. However, you once again chose power over compassion and now many will suffer for it. So, no."_

_The Gorosei were quiet as they took in his reasoning. They were weighing their options and the threat Lance posed to them and their order, should he continue to remain unattached._

"_We could have you executed here and now," they replied. The expected answer._

_Lance shrugged like it didn't bother him. His dying here would prevent anything from happening to his family. They would remain safe. Luffy would recover, he was resilient that way. He regretted he would be able to help his godson anymore, but the young man had done well 'til now. He would find his way and would be able to protect Mendora in time. Like White Beard had once._

_Still, he wasn't out of hope. They had said, "We could". There was still a play to make._

"_That would be the short-term solution. This is the closest I've come in nearly two decades to siding with Dragon again." He let that hang in the air. Those old men could sort out the unspoken._

_The Gorosei waited a minute before responding, conferring again. "Do you foresee a long-term problem with it, other than you simply not wanting to die. You are human after all, and no human would choose death where life is possible."_

_Poor self-centered fools know not the lengths some people would go for their ideals and honor. An easy mistake considering they had neither. He wondered how far they would lower themselves if it meant saving their own necks. Hard as it was to imagine, there were deeper gutters they had yet to wade through._

"_You're human too, for all that you and your brethren like to pretend otherwise," replied Lance. "However, know this, I would choose death before returning to your control. Now you must ask yourself, what would you gain with my death and what would you lose with it? If I foreswore Dragon and offered him no further aid in all his endeavors, nor seek his aid, as I did this time, to any future crisis, how would that change the scales you are currently weighing against my life? What would you gain and what would you lose in allowing me to remain a free agent with these stipulations?"_

"_A free agent, you say," repeated the Gorosei after a moment. "Are you stating that you could work with the Marines under certain conditions."_

"_I am but, before you even ask, I choose those conditions. Dragon and his own are not part of the battlefield. You don't want me to offer my services to him, fine, then I will not fight him either."_

"_That is not a very useful stance for us, considering what Dragon is capable of."_

"_Dragon studies strategy but his gifts are in building and leading people. That's why his revolutions are so successful. He thinks through the follow through, unlike your people. Destroying the World Government is only the first step and it's the one he has to take with the greatest care les he destroys more than what he could hope to repair. It's what comes after that allow men like him to shine the brightest. He is a builder of societies, of people, of armies, of organizations, of nations. I can maximize an army's abilities, but he is the one that will rebuild what war destroys._

"_Those skills lend well to military strategy but what I do is not something he can replicate. He has to over plan his wars, which is why he is taking so long to come at you and why he will withdraw from this war now that he has suffered the losses he has. Honestly, the desperation of this situation reveals the differences in our approaches to battle. You can see that, can't you?"_

"_Indeed, you had few resources and took a high stakes gamble, but it paid off. Dragon came at us with far more forces and lost. Even if luck was with you, destroying seven battleships with Mugiwara's one ship and getting him inside to do the damage that he did… You are indeed one of the most brilliant military strategists of our time, a rare talent to be sure, and it would be a shame to lose you, but if you won't fight for us…"_

_Lance said nothing in response to their implied statement. However reluctant the Gorosei seemed to throw away a military asset they would rather throw it away than see it in the hands of the enemy. But he had stated he would work with them, just not against Dragon. There were other places where he could be of worth to them._

"_What targets would you be willing to work with us on?"_

Lance smirked at the memory then replied, "I would be an arrogant fool if I thought that was entirely me. Even if leaving Alabasta alone was in their best interest after Pluton was destroyed, they still should have killed me. I didn't think I had nearly enough to offer to make it worth keeping me alive. Especially when I turned down returning to the Marines."

"Are you going to join Dragon despite your promise?" Fujitora asked. "I won't say anything if that's your plan but…"

"No, I'll keep my word. If I join Dragon now, I'll just wind up destroying the Revolutionary Army. Unlike Dragon, I'm not so nice. If Helgram and I end up in the same room I will kill him. I know that will tear the Revolutionary Army apart but there is no way I could ever work with that man again knowing what he's capable of and how much of a threat he is."

"So, it was never your intention to join Dragon," said Fujitora. He sounded disappointed.

_Can't blame the man for his feelings. This whole episode really rocked his inner convictions_, thought Lance.

"I'll do more good staying with the boy. He's going to need all the help he can get, considering how things stand now," he said.

"What boy?"

"Luffy, naturally."

The man snapped his head like he'd been slapped, but his voice was steady when he spoke. "You really believe Mugiwara survived that? Or were you lying about his location?"

"I didn't lie. Staying honest is what allowed me to convince the Gorosei in the first place," replied Lance. "He was the reason I was on Pluton. I was the decoy while he ran below."

"Still…" Fujitora frowned.

Lance grinned and patted his shoulder. "It's exactly as I explained to the head honchos. The gods have a plan for him, and it doesn't involve dying right now." Fujitora sighed. He probably didn't believe Lance's story, but it didn't matter. He would realize the truth soon enough, along with the rest of the world.

"Are you going to join the Thousand Sunny?"

"I'm not joining his crew, no, but I will be riding with him until I get home. However, my support won't end once I'm off the ship."

"Why is it so important for you to support him. And what did you mean by 'how things stand now'?"

Lance eyed the blind admiral, wondering just how much to reveal. "You seem to have a good head on your shoulders. There are not many like you in the Marines these days."

Fujitora said nothing to that comment, waiting for the man to answer his question.

The former vice-admiral sighed and continued, "There was a trap on Raftel. Set by the ancient people that once opposed those that would create the World Government. From what I now know, Maryanne stopped it a quarter of a century ago when Roger found the island. However, Luffy doesn't have his mother's experience and he could only postpone it."

"A trap? What kind of trap?" the admiral asked, alarmed.

"One that would put the lives of every man, woman and child in this world in peril. It was a type of trap that grows more potent with age and at this stage it is apocalyptic."

"How did Mugiwara delay such a trap? Why couldn't he stop it? How can we stop it?"

"The last question has an easy answer. You stop it from going off by letting Dragon win and toppling the World Government. Ending its reign forever."

Fujitora was taken aback by the answer. "How can you declare that when this Maryanne found a way to stop it before."

"She merely reset it. Put the Jack back in the Box, if you will. Luffy can only hold the lid down, he can't reset it. From what I can tell, it was designed to destroy the World Government, and it will do it, if it is let out of the box. For Luffy to keep the lid on the box, he has to prevent any further massive death events… like the destruction of an entire country. If you had gone through with the Buster Call… the trap would have gone off and the world itself would be in flames right now."

"Why didn't you say that to the Gorosei? Wasn't that why you enticed them to talk to you directly?"

It had crossed his mind to lay out the entire problem to them. But the World Government was rather selective about what they considered relevant information. He was actually surprised Fujitora was doing more than humoring him. Most people outside of Mendora would have dismissed all this as mere superstitious nonsense. Even if he was leaving out the spirit details of the trap's nature that came across as highly illogical and thus implausible.

Perhaps Fujitora's blind eyes had caught glimpses of the less substantial side of the world.

"I didn't trust them to act on it. So, I gave them something they could believe, something they could verify, something they were already aware of as a potential issue. If that didn't convince them then, and only then, would I bring this up with them. Don't give me that look, Fujitora! I didn't lie about a damn thing. They are on thin ice, even without this Jack-in-the-Box issue."

"They may have taken you seriously…"

"And they may have decided that the solution was to blow up Raftel. Unfortunately, I don't believe for a second that would have solved this. Instead I think it would have guaranteed their destruction. They have a bad habit of erasing things that are inconvenient without any thought to the consequences of such actions. The current issues with the Revolutionary Army are proof of their short sightedness."

Fujitora fell silent again and Lance took that as his sign to head out this time. "I look forward to working with you, Admiral Fujitora." He gave the man another pat on the shoulder. He hoped he would be allowed to work with Fujitora. He didn't know anything about Admiral Ryokugyu and Admiral Kizaru had always annoyed him in their brief interactions two decades ago.

Lance started to walk past the blind admiral and was almost to the door when Fujitora spoke again.

"How do you see all this playing out?" he asked.

Lance paused at the threshold but didn't turn around. "Prepare for a storm. Dragon was hurt badly. He can't challenge the World Government again for a few years. Luffy will do everything he can to protect the world only because he has many people he loves living in it. But I can't see this ending in anything but fire and brimstone. There is only so much one man can do. Sakazuki is too in love with power and doesn't understand how fragile it really is. The Marines will be demonized before this is over."

Lance then passed through the door leaving Fujitora alone with his thoughts.


	20. Back on Alabasta

**Chapter 19: Back on Alabasta**

May 15, 801 WG

Fujitora's blockade had moved away from the island for reasons unknown to the two pirate crews, but it made sneaking in after nightfall ridiculously easy. To which they were grateful, they didn't have anything left to fight with and couldn't afford the time it would take to reach the palace if they had to drop anchor in some unoccupied area.

Law watched as Jinbei carried Luffy to the carriages Vivi had sent to smuggle them into the palace. With the Marines gone, it seemed like overkill, but the transportation was appreciated. Everyone was tired.

The princess said nothing as she hustled them to their rooms. She understood the toll battle could take. Everything could wait until morning.

Law made certain Luffy was settled into his bed with the necessary IV and warm blankets to stabilize him before collapsing into his. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

The next morning the crews rose, save for Luffy who was still unconscious, but at least the spasms had stopped, and he seemed to be truly resting. Law barely had time to sit down at the table Vivi had prepped for their breakfast when Lami barreled into him and then threw herself onto his lap.

"Onii-chan, you're so mean! Why didn't you let me know you'd come back?" she demanded, her dark eyes boring into his gray ones.

Law swallowed then replied, "Because I was tired from the battle and you were already asleep."

Lami pouted at him and crossed her arms. "That's not a reason!" she declared.

_Of course it isn't_, Law thought. Little kids never thought being tired was a good enough reason for an adult to not do something the kids wanted. It was plenty of reason for the kids to not do something the adults wanted but not for the adults.

Law smiled, however, and patted his little sister on the head. How he had missed her pouty face. "You're right. I'll do better next time. I'm still not used to having you back yet."

Lami held her scowl for a moment longer before she broke into a grin and slammed herself against his chest eliciting a grunt from him. "Then I'll hug you until you're sick of it!"

"Oi!" Though Law grinned like a fiend despite the protest. Sixteen years without his baby-sister, she would have to hug him for at least that long if he was to become sick of her. Probably even longer.

He then heard his crew snickering into their meals and he glared at them. Just because he was soft on his sister didn't mean he would be any less harsh with them. He glanced over at the Straw Hats.

They were busy trying to calm a hysterical Ann who had probably come over to do the exact same thing to Luffy as Lami had done to him, but Luffy wasn't there. Three-year-olds, especially traumatized three-year-olds, were not reasonable. Their attempts to explain where her uncle was, and, more importantly as well as damning, why she couldn't see him just yet were falling on deaf ears.

Law sent them a sympathetic smile but didn't even try to intervene. The brief time she had spent onboard the Polar Tang had shown him just how stubborn she could be.

Luffy awakened to the drawn curtains of the medical room in Alabasta. His friends must have found him. His head no longer pounded with the ferocity of a thousand angry giants with war hammers, but his body still ached. He struggled to sit up, moving like he had seen old men move, he wondered if this was what it was like to be old and decided he didn't like it.

A hand appeared against his back and pushed him the rest of the way up. Luffy looked over and gasped in surprise.

Lance sat next to his bed looking no worse for wear despite having been on the deck of a ship that had exploded into nothingness. He smiled and handed the young captain a steaming mug of tea. Luffy only avoided jumping on him in delight because his body refused to move as he commanded it.

He managed to get his hands around the mug, though Lance didn't let go until he was certain Luffy could hold it. Only once the warmth of the mug penetrated Luffy's fingers, did he realize how cold he was. He just sat there for a minute letting the warmth of the mug filter through his numb flesh and up his frigid arms. It stung but felt so good at the same time.

Luffy sipped at the tea and sighed as warmth filled his core again and took away the aches.

"I did something again, didn't I?" said Luffy without really expecting an answer.

"I don't know what exactly but you're alive, so I'm not going to think too hard on it," said Lance. A frown fell upon his lips and his eyes grew troubled. "This was my fault. I didn't realize just how dangerous that stuff was. It was good thing Dragon didn't succeed on Moady or there wouldn't have been any Revolutionary Army left and you would have lost another brother."

Luffy stared into his tea as if he could read the future in it. "We should have stuck with Law's plan. I just suddenly had a bad feeling and…"

"Don't fret, Luffy. Unless we dropped the armory below the waterline instantly, the explosion would have been five times greater. They said it was more potent when splashed then when burned. Pluton was within five miles of Alabasta. It would have been affected by the blast if that happened. For our ignorance, this was the best outcome."

Luffy stared at him. "How did you hear about that?"

Lance gave him a wiry smile then replied, "I was picked up by the Marines and had a chat with Fujitora and few other officials. Don't worry. Alabasta is no longer in danger. I talked them out of taking further action against the nation, its people and its rulers. However, I do need to have a little talk with the princess."

Luffy stared. How had he pulled off that miracle?

Lance chuckled at his expression. "I'll tell you all about it when everyone's together. I don't feel like explaining myself more than once."

He was not patient by any stretch of the imagination. However, Lance's eyes held the glint of cold unyielding steel despite the lighthearted smile. No amount of egging and whining was going to get the man to reveal before he was ready.

Luffy crossed his arms and pouted.

"Where is everyone anyway?" the captain grumped.

"Eating. Or more likely, trying to placate your niece," replied Lance.

"Huh?"

"Little Ann wants to see you and they aren't letting her."

Luffy still looked confused. Then again, he hadn't had Ann in his life long enough to figure out what Lance was hinting at beyond that there was probably trouble. No one needed placating if they were happy.

"How do feel right now? Do you think you want to join them and grant your crew mercy?"

Luffy paused to consider it. His stomach turned over in rebellion at the thought of food, a terrible feeling that he was now all too familiar with. He grimaced and said, "My stomach doesn't like food right now." Luffy hated it. He should have been starving. The way his limbs trembled showed how week he had gotten. He needed food but his stomach refused to accept it.

Lance grimaced in sympathy. "I'll get your friends in here along with the princess. What I have to say concerns all of you anyway. And it needs to be said sooner rather than later. For right now, just stay put and let yourself rest. I know that's bothersome but there's no short cut to recovery with this."

Luffy nodded and Lance shifted the pillows until he could lay back and still be sitting up. Then the man got up and left the room.


	21. For the Foreseeable Future

**Chapter 20: For the Foreseeable Future**

May 15, 801 WG

Everyone was shocked to see Lance return to them alive, except Luffy who had already seen him. They were all equally shocked when he told them how he talked the Gorosei into sparing Alabasta.

"That being said," concluded Lance, he held up a scroll to Vivi, "you will have to recite this to the press tomorrow."

"What is it?" Vivi asked as she took the scroll from him.

"A false story about what happened. Fujitora and Headquarters already have the same story that they are planning to release. They lost control of the press during Reverie so it's not so easy for them to control the narrative like they did two years ago. You need to relay this story to the people where the reporters will also be waiting. That story will then be accepted as fact and printed for the world."

Vivi scowled at the scroll then bit her lip. She didn't like it. They were lying again but she realized Lance had really stuck his neck out to save her people. Cooperating would guarantee her people's safety, at least for the time being. Mercifully it didn't say anything about Luffy or Law one way or the other. Some people will think it odd but better let them speculate in bars than for her to say anything and draw the ire of the World Government right when they had been pardoned.

"I know this is not ideal but…" started Lance.

"No, I understand. Thank you! You really saved us, Lance," said Vivi as she rolled the scroll and gave him a sincere smile. Like with the incident with Crocodile, the truth of this incident would just have to go into Alabasta's private records.

She frowned as a thought came to her. "I still can't believe the Gorosei not only accepted your word but let you go after you refused to serve them again. Just who are you?"

Lance smiled and replied, "It was my refusal that told them I wasn't bullshitting them drama to save myself. They could trust I was giving them a true analysis of the situation. If I hadn't been honest with them about where I stood, I could never have convinced them. However, it would be arrogant of me to assume I changed their minds on my own. For me to be standing here… I think someone else was talking to them on their side. Who that was and what their agenda was… I have no idea. But I know I didn't get this result on my own merit. I should have at least been imprisoned for my part in this. Not released even with my vow not to help Dragon."

"Given what you said about Dragon's diminished forces," asked Robin, "could your joining them now really be that advantageous."

Lance paused for a moment as if considering the question then replied, "At the very least he could rebound from this set back much more quickly. I can't give you a proper answer without seeing what he had first."

"Yet you told the Gorosei you could give Dragon a victory even with this setback," said Jinbei.

"They know what I'm capable of."

That wasn't an answer, but it didn't really matter. Lance had managed to talk them out of destroying Alabasta and that was all Vivi cared about. Still it left her feeling vulnerable. She and her people were marked for death, the Gorosei's whim could change tomorrow. Full cooperation could only buy them so much now that they had gotten on the wrong side of the Celestial Dragons.

"Princess," said Lance, suddenly serious.

"Yes?"

"We need to discuss how Alabasta is to be defended going forward. It can't be anything obvious but, at some point, you are going to wind up as an independent nation. When that happens, you have to be able to hold your own against sea invaders, no matter what flag they fly. These preparations will have to be discreet, but it can be done."

Vivi was a bit unnerved by how the man had seemingly read her mind but that didn't change the accuracy of his assessment. It made sense but how was she to accomplish it?

"You're wondering how to do that," said Lance, reading her again.

"Was it so obvious?" asked Vivi in a half jesting manner. Was her face that easy to read or was it just nature of the situation they had found themselves in? A little of both perhaps.

Lance smiled reassurance then said, "I can put you in contact with a certain network. Ordinarily they wouldn't speak with anyone outside their group, but if I relay the message, they may approach you."

"A network?"

"Same one Dragon uses. In fact, it was that network that reached out to me to warn of Pluton's activity."

Robin spoke up, "I thought you had promised not to work with Dragon in exchange for your freedom? You also had stated it was not something you felt you should do for personal reasons."

"If this was Dragon's network I would be barred, but this one's centuries old. Dragon's an insider so he has privileged access. I only have this much contact with them because of our shared history. In truth the only one I trust to make contact with on this matter happens to be the network's current leader, the old matriarch herself. I can make the journey to see her if you want the assistance. Be warned, though, they could still refuse."

Vivi thought it over. "Is there any risk in asking?"

"None, so long as the message in not intercepted. They won't betray your confidence, Princess, even if they refuse to help."

"What kind of defenses are you talking about?" asked Luffy. Unlike the old Luffy, their captain was actually following the conversation. However, just like the old Luffy, the entire conversation was too complicated for him to follow well and he latched on to the only part he understood. Which had taken awhile given that weapons were two subjects back in the conversation.

Vivi stifled a giggle at the steam rising from his head as he overworked his long underemployed brain. She then replied, "We're talking about arming the port and possibly acquiring the equipment and skills to handle small warships to use against would be attackers, no matter they be pirate or Marine." She said that last part quietly, but the others heard her anyway.

"Is that going to be possible?" asked Jinbei. "The World Government doesn't like armed ports outside their own bases or people using armed ships that could match theirs. It's why trade ships focus on speed, because there's a limit to how strong their ships can be to defend themselves with."

"A valid concern," agreed Lance. "The World Government hamstrung many military powers in the last eight hundred years to preserve their oceanic superiority. However, those military powers have had eight hundred years to figure out the work arounds. Not to mention there are always exceptions."

"Like what?" asked Nami

"Probably not the best example, but there are armed ports in the world that the Marines can't get near. However, as you can guess, those are pirate ports. They're run by crime lords whose entire power originates from the underworld. But, because they can afford it, they have some of the best port defenses in the world. Some of them can compete with the Hedgehog and Marineford."

"That's not exactly comforting!"

"I said it wasn't a great example, but it does show its possible."

"If you have the funds!" Nami griped, apparently her merchant brain already calculating the costs.

"There are pirate ports?" Luffy asked, derailing the original discussion again.

"Luffy!" cried Nami in exasperation.

"What? It's a port where pirates can enter freely! I wanna see one!"

"Does 'crime lord' and 'underworld' not set off alarm bells?" asked Usopp with his characteristic whine when sensing impending adventure disaster.

"But we're criminals and what's an underworld anyway? Is it fun?"

"Nice to see the captain back to his usual dumbass self," said Sanji only to get slapped by Nami.

Too late. Old Luffy would have laughed off the comment and kept pestering for answers. New Luffy flinched and fell silent, looking away while his cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"Crap!" Zoro hissed as the entire group descended into awkward silence.

Vivi frowned at the unusual behavior. Nami had explained to her what happened but it was still jarring to see in action.

Lance took a deep breath and said, "The Underworld is what we call the darkness of our world. Its where those that dabble in the darkest of trades work. Drug smugglers, slavers, assassins, the foulest of human behavior is on display and accepted. Thus those pirate ports attract the lowest scum of piratehood to them. Adventurers, such as yourselves, should avoid those places or else, your more innocent and weaker crew could find themselves in dire trouble.

"There are several such ports all across the world, but the largest number exist in West Blue and most are controlled by the Kiegan Family. A couple reside in East Blue, use to be three but Desoro burned down five years ago after it made the mistake of pissing off the most blood thirsty pirate on the high seas. It was easy pickings for the Marines after that."

"Defenses like those don't rise overnight and I'm sure we're going to have an issue with spies very soon if not already," said Vivi, returning the subject to the matter at hand, her people's safety and her country's future.

"It's all well and good to say Vivi needs to prepare," said Sanji, "but how can she with the way things are now?"

Lance sighed. "We're putting the cart before the horse," he muttered. "None of this will matter if we don't get support from the network. Let me seek out their aid before we do anything else."

He turned to regard Luffy. "I'll be traveling with you until we get to Moady on the other side of the Redline. I can take a smaller traveling boat from there. It will be more discreet."

Luffy chewed his lip as if something were bothering him. "Nah, how about we take you to this place ourselves."

"Not an option. Not with where I'm going."

Luffy closed his eyes and began rubbing his head and made aggravated noises. "They're expecting us to take you back to Mendora. And isn't Moady by the New Marineford?"

"He's right," said Jinbei. "It will be easier to pick up a tail. It would be better to look like we're taking you home then pull out from Mendora as if we were just traveling onward at our leisure."

"We also need to take our time heading back," added Robin. "If we start bypassing all our old stops in favor of rushing back, it's going to look like we're plotting something. As anxious as all this has made us, we can't look concerned."

"We need to maintain the appearance of nonchalance," agreed Nami.

Lance grimaced. He wasn't arguing, Vivi noticed. "I get what you are saying, and I agree with it, but I can't bring a pirate ship, never mind you people in particular, to that island."

"Why?" asked Zoro.

Lance looked troubled then looked around as if he were seeking out potential eavesdroppers.

_Whatever his reasoning is_, thought Vivi, _it's not something he wants to be just anyone to learn about. Should we really be pestering him if secrecy is so important?_

Lance, satisfied or resigned, it was hard to tell, spoke. "I'm talking about Luffy's grandmother, Garp's wife. The World Government has probably put her under surveillance ever since Dragon's defection. If Luffy goes anywhere near her home… It won't matter what the reason is, they'll take action."

"Luffy's grandmother?!" everyone squawked in shock and horror. Vivi hadn't gotten a chance to meet Luffy's grandfather, Garp the Fist, but according to the others that might have been a good thing. It seemed Luffy and his grandfather were a lot alike. The two crews and Law's expressions easily revealed what they thought about the type of woman who would choose to marry a man like that. It was not exactly complimentary.

"Luffy's grandmother is alive and she's in charge of this network?" gasped Usopp, looking pale. "What kind of monster are we talking about?"

"She's a woman who chose Garp for a husband, enough said," stated Zoro.

"Didn't I tell you about her while we were in the whale?" asked Lance. The corners of his mouth were twitching upwards as he fought the urge to smirk.

Unfortunately, bringing up their recently deceased companion was triggering. Brook began wailing and a few faces fell.

"I believe you did but she was more of a distant tormentor in your stories and the tales were more focused on Luffy's parents than his grandparents. Still she seemed quite mischievous," replied Robin, speaking over her friend's grief. Vivi too, thought it best to move the conversation alone rather than allow them all to wallow in grief.

Lance indulged the distraction even as the skeleton began composing songs to his lost friend and Chopper and Usopp dissolved into follow-along singing. He replied, "She's suppressed. A small smile from her is the equivalent of someone else rolling on the floor while laughing until their purple. A smirk is a maniacal laughing. A chased kiss on the cheek, a throw-yourself-in-your-beloved's-arms full-on bent-over face-sucking smooch. At least that's what Dragon tells me. I haven't interacted with her enough to observe this myself. The few times I have seen her, she was always serious and grim. But the presence! I swear she's using conqueror's haki on low level. She's walks into the room and you're falling over yourself to do whatever she asks."

"Now I understand how Dragon can be so serious with Garp for a father," stated Robin with a small laugh.

As entertaining as all this was to Vivi, and she was fully aware that this was classic Straw Hat flow, she thought it best to move the conversation back on target. Fortunately, it sounded like a good juncture to do just that.

"So, is there a better back door you can use than Moady?" asked Vivi. "I don't want to put her in danger with my request."

"Do you know where she's located?" asked Nami. "I mean, we could always fake we're visiting friends and family if we head over to East Blue right now."

"She isn't in East Blue, unfortunately, or else that would be an idea. Easy mistake given Garp is a man of Goa Kingdom. But the family estate is in West Blue. That's why we would need to part after the crossing, not before."

"West Blue?!" everyone gasped.

"Yes." Lance let out a long sigh, the last of his hesitation leaving him. "Luffy's grandmother is none other than Baroness Goldenrei."

Everyone looked blank at his declaration, except Robin who gasped, "Goldenrei?! Aren't they the family that held power and influence in the Marines for seven hundred years?"

That got everyone's attention.

Lance nodded. "Kong is the first Commander-in-Chief to not be of the Goldenrei lineage since the Marines were founded in its current form at the formation of the World Government eight hundred years ago."

"And a family like this is going to help us defy the Marines?" asked Vivi incredulous.

"I don't have all the details, but the Marines' behavior took a downward turn around a hundred years ago when Kong's predecessor came into power. Why, I was never told. Garp and Dragon probably know but none of them ever breathed a word about it. The World Government being its usual self, hides the bad along with the good so that's why history is so obscure about how the Marines once were and how they are now."

"Eh…?" Luffy folded his hands behind his head and looked at the ceiling. "I think I want to meet Baa-chan."

"Eh!?" everyone cried. This was so far from typical Luffy behavior. He ordinarily wouldn't care about obscure relatives he had never met. At least that was how he felt about his father.

"Why do want to do that?" asked Vivi.

Luffy kicked at the floor, now looking uneasy. "She might know about Kaa-chan. Someone taught her how to fight and… all the other stuff." He wiggled his fingers and several crewmen grimaced while Vivi merely looked confused. Everyone kept bringing up Luffy doing new things, but they all had a hard time explaining it to her. Maybe they didn't get it themselves.

Luffy cast a glance at Lance. "Lance kept saying he thought her style would be the way to go now that I don't have my devil fruit, but he can't teach me her style."

Lance stroked his beard in thought. "True, I can't see that woman not researching a potential daughter-in-law who began her career as a pirate. Especially not one with her skills. But I still can't take you to estate so…"

"Maybe we can go to Altear and possible arrange a meeting from there," suggest Robin. "Altear is not a friend of the World Government and would they really forget who it was that fought in the Siege of Altear?"

"That might work actually. Even with the Marine base right there, they still have pirates sail in to resupply all the time. Not to mention they may help us because its Luffy."

"So we head to Altear," said Luffy with a grin.

"After we stop in Mendora and say hello to everyone on the way to keep anyone from suspecting us," said Nami.

Law coughed. He had kept silent during the whole discussion even when it went flying off into the bushes. He must have been used to the Straw Hats' flow as well. "So what am I and my crew supposed to do? We lost our ship."

"Good thing Water Seven's is going to be along the way," said Nami. "They make great ships there."

"Ow! Yeah! Suuuuuper great idea, Nami!" cried Franky as he did his classic stretch pose that united the starts on his forearms.


	22. Epilogue: Cronus

**Epilogue: Cronus**

May 14, 801 WG

The Gorosei chosen to speak on behalf of all five men put down the receiver, ending the call to Raiju and Fujitora. The lack of interruption from the Fleet Admiral probably meant he was on his way to speak with them face to face. None of the five men were looking forward to another confrontation with him but it couldn't be helped. The personal opinions of their lackeys were not their concern.

"I am shocked you even heeded my advice this time, considering that for the last twenty years you have ignored it," sang a smooth soprano. The voice was like bells chiming in the wind but notes of dissonance rang throughout. Her words were filled with venom and contempt.

The men regarded the woman with a wary eye. Unlike Akainu, her opinions were of international concern.

The woman who had spoken was diminutive in stature, perfectly petite in every way. Her long hair silver hair was partially restrained in a ponytail, the top half at least, the lower half flowed like water over her shoulders and down her back to her waist. Her dress, silver with tiny gemstones of complimentary coloring but too small to distinguish at the distance, flowed to the floor from her hips while everything above hugged her torso, arms and tiny neck. It revealed nothing while showing off every graceful curve she possessed. Only the pale skin of her hand and face showed. Cold elegance that conveyed power and confidence.

She held an unfurled fan, also silver, up to hide her lower face even as her crimson eyes regarded them with chill curiosity. A startling color that flashed like rubies in stark contrast to her wintery colors.

The Lady of the Rose, the Oracle of the Shrine of the Silver Moon, the Lady Marlene.

She had urged not five minutes earlier to heed Raiju's warning and drop the matter regarding Alabasta. Between the former Marine strategist and her own authority as Oracle, the Gorosei had relented. Not that they needed to speculate on the seriousness of the matter. Raiju had not spoken of things they weren't already aware of. The Oracle had merely cemented their decision.

Still her choice to remind them of their two decades of disregard was also a reminder of her family's hostilities toward them.

They could hardly blame her. The Oracle's task was to guide the World Government down the path of greatest prosperity. Twenty years ago, the Gorosei, alarmed by Roger's declaration and the resulting rise of pirate activity in the world, had made a decision that went against the previous Oracle's guidance. Forcing her to aid them in a scheme she condemned.

The woman had committed suicide soon after, during Reverie. It had taken almost the entirety of the week to calm the monarchs down after her body tumbled into the plaza among them without revealing anything of significance. Given the atmosphere of the time, that had been no small feat.

The current Oracle was the daughter of the late one, rising to power at the tender age of fourteen. The Gorosei had thought she would be easier to control because of her youth. It was the exact opposite. While she made no obvious moves, evidence dictated that she was taking a more active role in the world's events. Her predecessors were more passive, simply waiting until their advice was sought, much of the time. They did not involve themselves with the day to day affairs of state.

The only exception was when they had plotted to destroy the Scholars of Ohara, her late mother, the Lady Ariel, had rushed over demanding that they leave Ohara alone. It was the first time in living memory that an Oracle had given unsolicited advice, it was also the first time in living memory the Gorosei had chosen to ignore that advice.

The men shuddered inwardly. Much of their problem today seemed to stem from that very decision. Now her daughter stood opposed to everything they did, giving cryptic advice when asked and commenting on other actions when not.

When they had been planning Paramount, they had sought her advice about how to proceed. Her response had been a giggle and a single question.

"_What do you intend to gain by disposing of a stabilizing pillar in exchange for a catalyst for change?"_

It had made no sense back then and she made no clarifying comment, merely walked off while hiding her face behind her silver fan. However, her red eyes had danced with malicious glee as if she knew something important. Which she most likely did but after what happened to Lady Ariel and the fall out animosity between the Gorosei and the Keepers of the Shrine of the Silver Moon, they didn't dare pursue it.

Even now they weren't certain who the catalyst for change was supposed to be. White Beard had obviously been the stabilizing pillar, but the catalyst? Black Beard was a candidate due to his taking White Beard's place and devil fruit. That had been an embarrassing screw up on their part to allow that man access to so much power. Raiju had been right about that.

It could also have been Mugiwara. The boy was the sole survivor of Project Imperial Rose not to mention who his parents were. Raiju's words echoed within their mind:

"_Take that up with the gods. They've already shown their hand to me. They have their own agenda and Mugiwara is a large part of it. They will not let him die while he still has a job to do."_

"_You can argue again that death to Mugiwara is the only solution and you can dismiss my claim to him being favored by the gods. However, I'm going to tell you something now that will prove that dismissal foolish and your solution unattainable."_

"_I was on the deck of Pluton but Mugiwara was the one that ran into the bowels of the ship and lit the magazine on fire with a torch. If he comes back alive from that…"_

They didn't buy that. To them it was just further proof that Project Imperial Rose failed in the worst way. Mugiwara was finally becoming what they designed him to be but not at their weapon. Dragon not maintaining control of the boy was also bad. At least they could trust Dragon to be careful with such a creature and restrain his actions. But Mugiwara was a loose cannon, as close to a literal interpretation of the phrase as a non-cannon could be. Weapons should never operate under their own will. Terrible things happened when they went off without intelligence to guide their actions.

Roger's boy had been taken care of so he was out at least, though they had thought back then he might be the one Lady Marlene was referring to when she first posed the question. They now realized his death had been more of a catalyst than his life, if he was any kind of catalyst. It made them wonder if they shouldn't have executed him. Far too late for such unproductive contemplations.

Lady Marlene had also commented on their choice of Fleet Admiral following Sengoku's retirement.

"_You would put the dog in charge of men? There are far cleaner methods to disbanding the Marines, if that's what you're striving for."_

They still didn't know how to interpret that. Only thing they knew was that she despised Sakazuki. She never once referred to him by name, only ever addressing him as "hound" or "cur" as well as "the dog". They were lucky the two never had a reason to be in the same room. They couldn't imagine the Fleet Admiral surviving the encounter.

Which reminded them. They needed to conclude their talks with her before the Fleet Admiral arrived here demanding answers.

"You merely confirmed what we were already thinking. Do not think you alone were of influence," replied the Gorosei.

"I'd be insulted… if the man were anyone other than Vice-Admiral Raiju. Such a pity you chose to take such unnecessary actions then, you would not have lost so much if you had not been so stubborn. Power is fragile after all."

They were about to answer her when the door flung open with the much-dreaded arrival of the outraged Fleet Admiral.

"Why did you release that criminal and spare Alabasta?" demanded Sakazuki. "Why did you even indulge him? How much mud must you fling on the Marines' name by bargaining with criminals?"

Lady Marlene's eyes narrowed in annoyance over the top of her fan. "Must we suffer the baying of the hounds?"

"Just who is he that you would bend over backwards to accommodate him after he destroys your strongest weapon?" the Fleet Admiral continued, ignoring the Oracle's insult. He probably hadn't even realized it was about him.

Lady Marlene spoke again before the Gorosei could collect their thoughts, much to their mutual surprise. She rarely spoke more than two sentences at a time but today she was being unusually chatty.

"Pluton was no more a weapon than a pickaxe is and, besides, it wasn't the World Government's anyway. That relic belonged to the ancient kingdom, crafted for a purpose other than destroying life. Honestly, all you people think about is power and blowing things up. You're like little boys with blocks, smashing down whatever you build up because the destruction is more entertaining than the creating."

The Gorosei flinched at her words and, not surprising, Sakazuki finally turned to face the Oracle.

"Who are you to be making such judgements?" snarled the Fleet admiral as he reached for her. "Leave this place, whore. These matters of state don't concern a bed slave."

"Akainu!" the Gorosei shouted to stop the man as well as reprimand him. Was he really so blind to the Oracle's importance? While knowledge of the Oracle was on a need-to-know basis outside of Marie Geoise, and the Fleet Admiral had had little reason to know of her, surely he could tell she was not some slave of the Celestial Dragons?

Their cry came a heartbeat before three shieldmaidens appeared, swords drawn and tips pressed against the man's throat, who actually managed to freeze in time to keep form impaling himself. His hand still outstretched toward the Oracle who regarded him coolly over her silver fan.

The shieldmaidens were dressed identical in navy blue sleeveless leotards that covered them from their necks to their ankles, along with elbow length gloves. Sandals were ties to otherwise bare feet and silver sashes hung at their waists. Their hair was long and drawn into ponytails.

Shieldmaidens were the weapons of the shrine and deadlier than any member of Cypher Pol. They were also all related to the Oracle, her lesser cousins. They may not have been blessed with the same strength of gift she had but they still shared a fair amount of her power, as was their blood right. That gift was what made them so dangerous.

The Gorosei held their breath. She could kill Sakazuki right now for his insult to her. No one would complain. The Celestial Dragons would consider it only right and would expect it. All the Gorosei could think was how they were going to explain his disappearance to the rest of the Marines and the public when they had to announce a new Fleet Admiral. It would be such a stupid and embarrassing thing to admit that their chosen Fleet Admiral had insulted a Celestial Dragon and been killed for it.

Lady Marlene continued to stare at him, her crimson eyes becoming unfocused as she stared off into the distance, as if watching something they could not. Debating whether to kill him or not, the Gorosei realized. She was peering into the stream of time to see if it would be worth the hassle, weighing the outcomes and calculating the rewards.

"So, so tempting," she said with a wistful sigh. The shieldmaidens, responding to some unheard cue, pulled back allowing Sakazuki to step away. Sweat beading on his forehead, he must have realized the gravity of his error.

"And with Cronus stirring, probably even advisable, but why should I make things easy," she whispered, but in the pin drop silence, everyone heard her as if she had shouted.

The Gorosei blanched at the name. Cronus. They hadn't heard it uttered aloud since Roger had been rumored to have found Raftel. The fourth weapon and one whose power exceeded the three that came before.

They had wanted to combat the rising pirate threat, that was why they had ignored the previous Oracle. They had craved that unrivaled power that granted them victory eight hundred years ago to once again serve them. However, the power had not come to them in the end and it had cost them more than they had ever anticipated in merely trying to obtain it. Now all the evidence pointed to its manifestation in a being not under their direct control.

Would Cronus appear as promised by the fallen so long ago to burn the world? To destroy them? They wanted more than anything to demand answers from the Oracle, now that she had invoked the forbidden one. But would she give them? Or would she mock them with more cryptic statements? They were almost certain of the latter as they studied her.

Lady Marlene gently fanned herself as she turned to leave the room. "I'll take my leave. You seem to have much to discuss and I am weary of dwelling in the presence of short-sighted fools."

"Wait!" cried the Gorosei.

The Oracle paused and cast her gaze over her shoulder, her fan still hiding her mouth. Something amused her. Something about sparing the Fleet Admiral amused her and the Gorosei could only guess why. With her hate for the man, she could have, should have, taken advantage of his error to end him. She didn't spare him for altruistic reasons. She spared him because something she had seen amused her.

The shrine keepers were hostile to the Gorosei and had never associated with the rest of the Celestial Dragons. They even refused to wear the same style of clothing, which was why so few outside of Marie Geoise recognized them. If the Oracle had found amusement in sparing a despised being it was because it benefited her agenda, whatever it was.

The Gorosei found themselves wishing she had disposed of Sakazuki now that they saw her glittering crimson eyes. Something about the man's survival was going to hurt them, despite his being their chosen attack dog. Her words from two years ago echoed through their minds, however, they could not ask, even now, what she meant by that cryptic statement. She would not answer. She hadn't then and she wouldn't now.

Ordinarily this would be enough for them to take action and assign an assassin to remove Sakazuki. If she felt his living would further her devious cause, then killing him was the only natural response. Except she had twice before pulled a similar stunt with others and their deaths wound up being in line with her agenda. She just amused herself by tricking them into doing it for her. The very act of their taking action had shaken their power and cast doubt when they had thought they were affirming their superiority.

Perhaps she spared the Fleet Admiral because of actions he would take in the future that were harm the World Government. Perhaps she spared him because it would drive the Gorosei to assassinate their own loyal hound. Causing the very blowback they were hoping to avoid when they prayed she would not kill Sakazuki. Worse they wouldn't even have the justification she would have had in killing him. Killing their own chosen Fleet Admiral would be thrice as damning as her doing it.

They were paralyzed with indecision on how to respond to her subtle messages and that also amused her. Perhaps that was the source of her amusement. She saw their paralysis and it amused her.

Instead the Gorosei decided to focus on something they were more likely to get a response on.

"What is the threat from Mugiwara? What should we do about Dragon's son?"

The Oracle contemplated his words her eyes growing distant.

However, Sakazuki had found his voice again, now that he no longer perceived he was in any danger.

"Mugiwara, huh? Every day I hear of him, I curse that fool, Coby, for his interference in Paramount that prevented us from finishing him."

"Thank Shanks for his interference, cur," said Lady Marlene, snapping her fan in the Fleet Admiral's direction. "His intervention prevented your head from flying from your shoulders. Coby is the Vice-Admiral's protégé. If you had succeeded in killing him as well, Baron Goldenrei would have cut ties with the Marines then and there by disposing of you. The civil war that would have erupted from such a defection would have ended the Marines and crippled the World Government just when the seas had lost its strongest pillar of stability."

She turned away and glided from the room with her shieldmaidens in tow. One last statement floating back to taunt them.

"Besides, if you actually had had any chance of slaying Maryanne's son, I would have personally intervened."

888888888888888888888888888

The official introduction of Lady Marlene, who is rather a big deal in the first arc.

They also touch on another ancient weapon, Cronus. However, what is Cronus?

The story continues in "Return to Water Seven" which will be posted in as part of "The Princess and the King Short Stories". Already posted, the Grandfleet and Marine perspective from this time period "A Fool's Faith" and "Coby's Confusion". They can also be found in "The Princess and the King Short Stories."


End file.
